Revolutionary Road

Such an awesome space for silence! Thats the one thing that impressed me most about this film, apart from the complexity of emotions that engulf the lead pair. A total contrast to their earlier romantic flick on board the Titanic, Leonardo di Caprio and Kate Winslet, take you down all the way, yup, all the way down in Revolutionary Road.

Sam Mendes (married to Kate Winslet in real life) has given his wife a gift of her lifetime, in her role of April - the creative, spontaneous yet cranky and hysterical, impulsive woman, who so loves her husband that she goes all the way to hate him! Though I'm yet to see Reader, for which she won her Oscar, this one too is a masterful stroke of a deft artiste. Kate proves that her picnic in Titanic was just that - a small, outing by the sea. Whereas, in RR, she pulls you along as she drowns, dives, resurfaces for short breaths and then, almost abruptly sinks. And, no, its not the tear at the end of the last eye-lash kind of movie. It is smouldering, heavy discontent that rips up your heart, leaving no room for piddley tears.

Leonardo di Caprio has the more complex character actually, caught up in making a life for his family like a good, responsible man of the house. He is yet to find out what he wants to do with his life. Yet to find the time away from nosy colleagues, attractive stenos, demanding bosses...and a rigid work life that even keeps the social life in clock work schedule. But as he struggles so does he come to terms with it. A small suggestion to move to Paris, that tiny little paradigm shift in thought itself seems to be enough of a catalyst for Frank (di Caprio truly excels) to bring that extra 'zing' to his routine life. He, like all ordinary mortals is happy to live in his dreams, and reckon with his reality (read compromise).

April (an amazingly animalistic portrayal - watch her and then tell me you disagree!) on the other hand sees the futility of their programmed life and puts her plan of moving to Paris (used as an utopian concept here - brilliant!) in action - the disappointment of not actually doing so, has disastrous effects on the couple.

Mendes almost travels through the Sydney Pollock terrain - a little bit of drama, suspense, well etched characters but minimal in number, great tension in place of romance and mush, very adult points of view (the presence of the 2 kids makes no difference to the proceedings), a rather abrupt and impulsive ending. Mendes has made a film that actually made me think - am I really doing what I really wanna do in life? Am I living or simply existing?

Well...aint we all answering that one with every waking moment of our lives?