On The Road
Starring: Garrett Hedlund, Sam Riley, Kristen Stewart, Kirsten Dunst, Viggo Mortenson,
Directed By: Walter Salles
Reviewed by Danielle Muir

[rating 4/5]
“The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars.”
– Jack Kerouac

Struggling writer Sal Paradise(Riley) has his life blown into ecstasy when he meets the volatile Dean Moriarty (Hedlund), a man who seeks thrill and excitement to fulfil his perpetually unsatisfied life.  Moriarty’s young wife Marylou (Stewart) is entranced by the intensity to which Dean lives, as is virtually every character that stands in his presence.  After a debaucherous period of drinking, smoking and unashamed sexual endeavours, the three embark on road trips throughout rural North America, meeting a collection of eclectic, damaged and unforgettable people on the way and exploring their own thresholds of living.

This is a film that doesn’t progress according to normal conventions – there’s no goal.  They aren’t striving to achieve a particular action.  They’re just travelling to discover new experiences, new people, new ways to amplify their senses and break down the facades of what is ‘proper’ in order to learn.  And that is what may turn the majority off this film – unless you are extremely intrigued by the characters on screen, the lengthy journey may seem tedious.  Especially with the 2hr 30min runtime.

But lucky for me the characters were so captivating that I just continued to watch in envy of their freedom.  Sam Riley’s perfect in portraying rugged Sal, burning to create something beautiful.  His wise, gravelled voice tells stories like a man who’s really lived.  Hedlund is equally entrancing as Dean, a man tortured by his own inability to be satisfied with a happy exterior, and who attempts to fill the holes in his soul with whatever is accessible.  These two certianly the most interesting, but Stewart is also decent as Marylou, and a mysterious Viggo Mortenson steals the show in his few scenes.

This is a film that I didn’t love in the standard manner, but the appreciation I feel towards it continues to grow with time.  Dwelling on the characters and being jealous of their ability to abandon all reservations, drop everything and hit the road is something worth giving plenty of post-film thought towards.  I fell in love with the ruggedness of rural America, portrayed as warm, rough and begging to be travelled across.  And the dialogue is littered with lines that would make any budding writer weep in inadequacy.

On The Road is difficult to discuss, as the digestion period after the film and looking back across the journey makes the experience infinitely more profound.  To some, the film can be a bit confronting, as there is many themes tackled in graphic detail, however that is just how the content must be presented, otherwise the novel is undersold.  I didn’t emerge from the cinema in tears, or ready to passionately defend it against all criticisms.  It’s one that I appreciated for including me into a life of total abandonment, and observing characters far more intriguing than many I’ve seen on screen in a significant amount  of time.