Revolutionary Road

As off this moment i have just watched revolutionary road...

This Sam Mendes film features the journey of a broken down marriage and the battle to make it survive in typical suburban American life.

I must say i think what initially enticed me into the movie was the fact that it was Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet starring together as a married couple, and although the story is horribly tragic and upsetting in many places (i will try to avoid spoilers) i honestly feel a small sense of closure after what has been many years of depression over the heart rendering love story that is James Cameron's Titanic. It's as if i have witnessed the 'imagine if Jack had actually climbed onto the piece of wood that has been proven to be big enough for two people and survived' fantasy.

So of course for that reason i am impressed.

Secondly, i like the eeriness to the film itself. Although in some places rather unsettling, accompanied by a unique soundtrack, the film strikes an odd balance between portraying the typicality of suburban American life in contrast with clearly showing how the American Dream is not all it appears to be. I believe the film is executed in such a way that the audience almost feel a part of the story. Now, i am 16 (nearly 17) years old and i am from England, it is obvious that i cannot relate to married life with children, yet i have come away from the film with a strange sense of understanding, or should i say warning, to the dangers of the so admired and desired ideal.

One thing i am yet to decide upon is how i feel about the pace of the film and even when i wrote that sentence i still questioned to myself whether i should be making this point. So upon immediate reactions i do believe, this may be quite obvious, but this film is not for those who seek action and thrill out of a movie...not for the unsentimental among us. However, i feel i must commend Mendes for his unconventional take on portraying this story. It has been done in a truly genuine and real way, no predictability or moments where i just thought to myself 'of course that happened.' The steadiness of events, the slow unwinding of the relationship between DiCaprio and Winslet truly embodies that message that not everything turns out as it is imagined to be, and reality lets you down over time, breaking down your sanity bit by bit, excellently conveyed through Winslet's performance.

And of course, i must come on to speak of my favourite actor of all time, Leonardo DiCaprio. Without sounding like a fangirl, as ever i was just stupidly impressed with his performance. Excuse the paradox, but his ability to be so versatile yet maintain his identity throughout every film amazes me, and he hasn't ceased to do so this time either. In the moments of intense arguing, DiCaprio explodes with passion. His actions are carried out with such strength and almost determination and his words spit through his teeth. His character of Richard Yates presents to the audience a man stuck between his own desires and his reluctance to leave the safety of typical life, and throughout every scene his performance is simply effortless.

Overall, I would recommend this film. I am a big fan of tragic love stories, as depressing as they may be.

Here is the imdb link for Revolutionary Road.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0959337/?ref_=ttmd_md_nm

Thank you for reading,

Love and hugs... George x