Revolutionary Road

Revolutionary Road brings together the iconic Titanic couple to the silver screens once again, minus the stellar film quality. You'd also recognize a similar template to Sam Mendes' previous masterpiece American Beauty here, again without the same pedestal of quality.

It's undeniable that Revolutionary Road teems with potential from the beginning. The film starts off introducing Leonardo DiCaprio as Frank and Kate Winslet as April. Their eyes meet in a weekend party and it was an instant attraction. There's nothing short of chemistry and electrifying passion between them. Fast forward to current day - a marriage and 2-kids later, it's nothing but top-of-the-throat argument and incessant frustration stemming from misconstrued communication. What has happened in between those years? As the title card's raised, we wonder as the pair does.

Like aforementioned, first half of the feature is nearly spotless with Sam Mendes' calm and composed storytelling! The director's visual language is powerful in showing the visible gap between Frank and April. As we slowly walk through their typical day, we come to understand that Frank isn't satisfied with his job and is afraid of becoming a disappointment just like his father. He no longer feels things and does random kicks that could at least get his blood pumping, like sleeping with his co-worker. April on the other hand faces the same issue - her acting career isn't as successful as she thought it would be, and most of the time, she's trapped within the four walls of her house as the housewife. In short, both of them are going through a quarter-life crisis and yearning for a way out. That's when the plan to go Paris arrives! It's the best place Frank claims to have been, therefore April suggests to move there to start over since it's their one chance to save their decaying relationship and so begins the journey and struggles to get this goal!

The constant hurdles thrown at them such as Frank's new job opportunity and Kate's unexpected pregnancy are complete nail-biting train wrecks that destroy their Paris plan! Where the plot falls down is when April decides to sleep with neighbour Shep (David Harbour). It was at this point that the plot rushed and it's all downhill from here. First of all, the setup is unrealistic. No man would ask another man to fetch his wife back home. While Shep has always had a secret interest towards April, there weren't character arc beats earned by him to reach this stage so suddenly! And April's action arrived from nowhere too! The same can be said about Frank's confession; it just escalated from nowhere! Furthermore, the script should have utilized the supporting characters better by tying them properly with the theme. Not only do they not add anything pivotal to the main plot, there were no subplot character arcs for them as well.

The chemistry between Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet is natural, and of course their performances are absolutely lit! One of the highlights that'll stay in your mind for a long time is when April runs out of her house to the woods as Frank pursues her relentlessly. She begs him to leave her alone as she can't think in his presence. He's loud and always envelopes her, and she needs to be alone for at least five minutes to able to think. Frank doesn't understand this but complies anyway by returning to his house, but he continues to stalk and wander about her whereabouts from his windows. Moments like this render Revolutionary Road a real experience, again thanks to the phenomenal performance by the lead pair! Other examples include the obvious pain in Frank's face when April tells him she doesn't love him anymore plus the general claustrophobic, helpless and 'dead' state April exhibits she's in that her only way out is to take her own life.

Camerawork is simple, steady and perfect - in other words, Roger fucking Deakins! The frames and actor placements are always neat and flawless! Score is cool and the set designs are pristine. The editing is perfect too!