REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

How do you break free without breaking apart?

MPAA Rating: R for language and some sexual content/nudity.
Run time: 119 min

We already have a peek on American suburbia in Little Children and Oscar winning American Beauty, but this film gives a new meaning of hell in suburbia of the 50s, hell defined as loveless marriage and superficial society.

Although after watching this you might feel slightly depressed and sympathize with the suffering of marriage people. The acting and narrative story telling is brilliant, after all this is the first reunion of Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet since Titanic (1997). And somehow, it deserves all fancy nomination in the upcoming Golden Globe or even Oscar.

Frank (Leonardo DiCaprio) and April Wheeler (Kate Winslet) met in a party and married ever since. But two beautiful kids, a nice home, 9-5 jobs and friendly (but sometimes superficial) neighbor wasn't enough for them. They do not know what they want in life and still figuring out what real happiness is. There's the hollowness and hopelessness that cannot be defined and at one point, it seems the plan for the Wheelers to move to Paris seem a good idea for escaping the boredom and hell of suburban life.

It was April who convinces Frank to move to Paris after she got a poor review for her performance in a local production and see the signs that her youthful dreams seem to fade away, Paris is seen as a necessary escape.

In the meantime, to kill the boredom, Frank has an affair with a secretary and April has a one night stand with her neighbor. All those boredom and repressed feeling exploded as April suddenly pregnant with the third child, in a violent verbal fight, everything went loose cannon. Not only that ruin the plan to go to Paris but a promotion for Frank in his job also play a major role.

To make matters more interesting, none of the neighbors actually understand the hopelessness and unhappiness of the Wheelers, only a mentally ill man named John Givings (Michael Shannon), the grown son of the Wheelers' real estate agent, Helen (Kathy Bates) seem to understand, with cruel words and merciless judgment, the severity of the Wheeler's zero fantasy marriage. I have to say, even the performance of Michael Shannon deserves another nomination for this film and I wouldn't be surprised if Leo and Kate also get one, they surely has mature a lot since Titanic.

In a shocking end, some single men/women might re-think their plan of getting married after seeing this film. Revolutionary Road is mesmerizing, disturbing, intelligent, a bit depressing for single people, thought-provoking and a triumph for superficiality of suburban life that gives you the taste of harsh reality.