REVIEW -- Reservation Road

“Reservation Road” is a film about the need for closure, and in the last minute, it gives the audience exactly that. The film opens at a children’s music recital overlooking a beautiful New England waterway. Following the recital, Ethan and Grace Lerner (Joaquin Phoenix and Jennifer Connelly) stop at a gas station on Reservation Road so their daughter Emma (Elle Fanning) can use the bathroom. While they are stopped, their son Josh (Sean Curley) gets out of the car to release his jar of fireflies. Meanwhile, Dwight Arno (Mark Ruffalo) is speeding to get his son Lucas (Eddie Alderson) back to his ex-wife (Mira Sorvino) following a Red Sox game. While trying to answer his cell phone, Dwight hits and kills Josh. In shock, he speeds away.

Following Josh’s death, Ethan goes on a desperate search to find the driver of the car. Likewise, Dwight is desperate to hide what he has done to maintain his freedom and continue to work on his strained relationship with his son. Their journeys parallel each other until they are both at their most vulnerable. A little too coincidentally, their paths cross as Ethan hires Dwight as his lawyer to investigate the death and Dwight’s ex-wife becomes Emma’s personal piano teacher. True, the story takes place in a small New England town, but the coincidences are a bit too much to believe. If they see each other so much now, why had they never met before?

After enough personal investigating, Ethan finds what he was looking for, proof that Dwight killed his son. Ethan never seems to consider calling the police but instead buys a gun and goes after Dwight himself. At this point, itwould seem that the logical ending is for Dwight to end up dead. However, the film goes beyond conventional Hollywood filmmaking and resolves the story without montages neatly tying up every character’s story. The film climaxes and in two short scenes, Ethan’s and Dwight’s futures are conveyed and the film fades to black. The brilliantly written conclusion negates the clichés and coincidences that existed earlier in the film.

The film features beautiful New England locations and has a high production quality. Some award nominations would not be entirely surprising, but more likely for Golden Globes than for Oscars. Best Adapted Screenplay seems the most logical category for the film to be recognized in.

The performances are all around excellent. Phoenix and Connelly poetically portray the tragedy of parents losing a child. Ruffalo also manages to create a sympathetic character, despite the horrific act he committed. The few scenes between Phoenix and Ruffalo are especially powerful. In each meeting, the tension increases until the audience almost can’t handle it anymore. Alderson is also notable as a young boy striving for a close relationship with his father.

“Reservation Road” is a powerful, well-written and emotionally packed film. Suspension of disbelief is a bit necessary, but isn’t it for most every film in theaters? Unlike most of those, “Reservation Road” is thoughtful, well made and beautifully acted.

By Danielle Koch
News Editor, District