New (and much more encouraging) test screening review of "The Road" (2009)

saw a fine cut of THE ROAD recently and it is killer good. There was still some tweaking being done, and it was pre-sound mix/final score/color correction but I was mesmerized. I am one of the 12 people who did not read the book so I had no idea what I was in for. It is some of the finest filmmaking I have seen, and I see everything. It was gut wrenching, brutal, harrowing, and beautiful and left me an emotional puddle. Some of the images are tough to live with, but surprisingly and wonderfully, what I am left with weeks later is a profound sense of having enough, plenty, in fact way way more than enough. It’s scary times out there and I, like everyone else, am worried about retirement and providing for my family and basic survival. THE ROAD puts it into perspective – there are moments of relief that are so simple as to be unnoticeable in our everyday lives, but in extreme situations (like the majority of the world’s population faces every day) those moments become examples of pure grace. A brief moment of shelter, the kindness of a mother, the companionship of a dog transcend all. And I have never seen as beautiful a portrayal of a father’s love for his son. See this movie, and be prepared to have your heart ripped open.