Spring Break
'Revolutionary' a cinematic leader
by Justine Root
Arts Editor
Arts | 1/27/09
Posted online at 1:59 AM EST on 1/27/09
I have to wonder how many weddings have been canceled as a result of engaged persons having gone to see Revolutionary Road. The film is so incredibly devastating and so tension-filled that if it were to be shown at a wedding reception, it wouldn't surprise me if director Sam Mendes' latest film about the travails of a married couple sent newlyweds begging for an annulment in the middle of cutting the cake.
Amazingly enough, the film starts off on a romantic note. The opening scene depicts the initial meeting of April (Kate Winslet) and her future husband Frank Wheeler (Leonardo DiCaprio), an event characterized by a wide-eyed, innocent infatuation and a sharing of their aspirations for the future. After that hopeful scene, though, the film's tone quickly darkens as Revolutionary Road flashes forward to a depiction of a now-married April and Frank living a drastically different life than the one they once imagined for themselves.
The couple's feelings of mediocrity-which were instilled in the couple after their move from the dynamic city to a stifling suburbia-seep from every aspect of Revolutionary Road; the colors of April and Frank's world are dull and muted, and Frank's daily venture into the city for his detested desk job is marked by a swarm of identically dressed men in gray suits and fedoras.
However, as the movie progresses, the Wheelers' feelings of mediocrity are replaced by crazed whims inspired by a sudden decision to move to Paris. This drastic turn, which becomes even more intense when Frank develops cold feet, turns the film into an emotional, heartrending study of a marriage forced to the brink by a battle between one spouse's desire for fulfillment and another's fear of failure and the unknown.
But what makes the film truly intriguing is Revolutionary Road's exploration of the various reactions and results of April and Frank's decision to flee to Paris; friends disparage the couple and their decision while simultaneously grieving the monotony of their own lives, and Frank and April's marriage momentarily picks up only to fall even farther than before in the wake of Frank's hesitation.
Amazingly enough, the film starts off on a romantic note. The opening scene depicts the initial meeting of April (Kate Winslet) and her future husband Frank Wheeler (Leonardo DiCaprio), an event characterized by a wide-eyed, innocent infatuation and a sharing of their aspirations for the future. After that hopeful scene, though, the film's tone quickly darkens as Revolutionary Road flashes forward to a depiction of a now-married April and Frank living a drastically different life than the one they once imagined for themselves.
The couple's feelings of mediocrity-which were instilled in the couple after their move from the dynamic city to a stifling suburbia-seep from every aspect of Revolutionary Road; the colors of April and Frank's world are dull and muted, and Frank's daily venture into the city for his detested desk job is marked by a swarm of identically dressed men in gray suits and fedoras.
However, as the movie progresses, the Wheelers' feelings of mediocrity are replaced by crazed whims inspired by a sudden decision to move to Paris. This drastic turn, which becomes even more intense when Frank develops cold feet, turns the film into an emotional, heartrending study of a marriage forced to the brink by a battle between one spouse's desire for fulfillment and another's fear of failure and the unknown.
But what makes the film truly intriguing is Revolutionary Road's exploration of the various reactions and results of April and Frank's decision to flee to Paris; friends disparage the couple and their decision while simultaneously grieving the monotony of their own lives, and Frank and April's marriage momentarily picks up only to fall even farther than before in the wake of Frank's hesitation.
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