Revolutionary Road

It has long been a convention of film and literature that behind the picket fences and glitzy facades of fifties living lay a restless hopelessness and emptiness. That sentiment is abundant is Sam Mendes' Revolutionary Road a beautiful but bleak, evocation of a married couple battling with life that they have created for themselves.

It is an awards season film. Kate Winslet and Leonardo Dicaprio act purposefully and sometimes not so subtly but manage not to cross the line of begging, openly, for an award. They are helped in this area by being very, very good. Winslet looks like shes a shoe-in for triumph on both sides of the pond and must be thankful that perhaps the most attractive role of the cinematic year was in a film directed by her husband, a role she performs with great nuance and poise. Dicaprio hasn't been as lauded in critical circles for his role probably becuase many of his major scences are arguments with his wife of biblical proportions and the notion that he is perhaps over-acting is not one that usually appeals to the pretensions of academy members. Saying that they did nominate him for his role as South African diamond smuggler in Blood Diamond reinforcing the theory that the academy love a good accent and see it as a barometer of characterisation. This seems unfair as his role as Frank is infinitley more nuanced and conflicted that the Bad Rogue turned loveable in what was an essentially and action movie with an issue.

Aesthetically there is joy in a film that offers little else in the way of redemption. Everyone smokes copius ciggarettes safe in the knowledge they are good for you and cars are glamorous shining American made homes on wheels. But apart from the good suits and manicured lawns Revolutionary Road is a tough watch although there is some element of catharsis in simply not being it's main protaganists. Its encouraging to see the makers havent shirked this fact opting for a simple white poster that doesn't proclaim the beauty of the piece and doesn't or make it out to be something that it isnt. Although brilliant Slumdog Millionaire was guilty of this and the posters hailed it as "Feel Good Film of the Year!" when in reality it was a fable of greed, abject poverty, rape and child torture.

Next up for me from the award season selection is The Curious Case of Benjamin Button that is more decorated than Harry Patch. Apparently it is unhumanly long, slightly self indulgent and ridiculously beautiful. I cant wait.