Revolutionary Road

Revolutionary Road (2008) dir. Sam Mendes

Starring: Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCaprio,

Michael Shannon, Kathy Bates

There are some movies that even before they are seen, spark the imagination and hold a place in our head space for a while. Inspired by the imagery, the meaty subject matter and Titanic reunion. I too was awaiting Revolutionary Road with baited breath. The stars had aligned.

My baited breath was met with an arduous film with few light points. We meet Frank and April Wheeler amidst marital conflict. They've come to a crossroads of sorts, though April is driven to action while Frank seems complacent. Stylistically we are given a Hopperesque understanding of the facelessness of the period. April's action comes in the form of a plan to move the family to Paris in hopes of leading a more cultured and fulfilled existence. Without knowledge of the book, and having seen a couple of publicity shots on a beach, I believed that they made it there. So, I felt April's pain when it all starts to unravel.

Winslet and DiCaprio's formidable pairing is punctuated by a standout supporting cast. Zoe Kazan gives a nuanced performance as the nubile secretary Maureen Grube. After her liaison with Frank, there is a wonderful moment where we see Maureen trying to adopt a bit of a sexier more mature persona. It's only done with a few subtle movements but, it is conveyed very effectively. Shannon's performance is a bit more forthright. It is through his character's brutal honesty that forces the Wheller's to face their own truths. For some fun check out Shannon's turn as Dundun in "Jesus's Son". I was a bit disappointed in the lack of screen time for the children. If the Wheeler's are steeped in the trappings of domesticity they're relationship would play a large role in our understanding of that.

Back to our formidable paring. Winslet's emotional restraint works in tandem to DiCaprio's venerability. Toward the end of the film, we are filled with the same confounded reactions to their arguments. I'm reminded of something Samuel Fuller says in "The Typewriter, The Rifle and The Camera" to paraphrase he speaks of every human being having a third face. A part of their persona that even those closest to them will never know. So like Frank, we will never know what drove April to the depths of her despair.