Revolutionary Road
Although the path of each generation is paved by the toil of the previous generation, each has its own unique set of challenges. Nowadays, it’s difficult to see past the smog of global warming to a time when the world was a much larger place, and people in post-industrial western societies, strived to be the ideal middle class family.
Set in the relatively affluent but socially repressive fifties, Revolutionary Road takes its name from the lovely, tree-lined street in Connecticut that any decent couple would want to inhabit. The young Wheeler couple, April (Winslett) and Frank (di Caprio), are lured into buying a house on this prized piece of real estate, and set about doing the whole 'burbs' thing.
Except that isn’t really what either of them wants. The Wheelers aren’t your regular, ordinary suburban couple. Before you let your mind run away, let’s clarify that there’s nothing sinister, other-worldly or particularly dark looming on the horizon. It’s just that the Wheelers aren’t the most conventional couple. So when April suggests to Frank that they sell up and pursue their dreams, it’s not beyond the realm of reason.
The reaction of their friends and family is interesting. How quickly a couple can go from being everyone’s darlings, to being wayward and eccentric. It’s clear that by voicing their aspirations, April and Frank are making everyone else uncomfortable. That’s often the way it is when people forge an alternative path.
The only person, it seems, who truly understands them, is John Givings, the son of Helen (Bates), a local realtor and neighbour. His take on life is so incisive that he has been deemed practically insane and has been committed to an asylum. After all, only the crazy could question the desirability of the American Dream. Though it becomes apparent that there are others around them who at least occasionally question their reason for existence.
Can April and Frank succeed in shrugging off the conventions that imprison them, and realising their dreams?
While their dreams may be different from those many or most other people had at that time, the challenges they face are all too realistic: woman as breadwinner, birth control, financial security – these were very real issues that people faced. Some continue to pose dilemmas, even in our more enlightened societies.
Sam Mendes has created a very satisfying drama, which is simply beautiful to watch. Winslett and De Caprio excel in the lead roles, and quarrel convincingly.
Kirsti Zea’s production design appealingly captures the fifties, without resorting to kitsch or diverting our attention away from the drama.
Given the curious title, you may not have really known what this film was about when it was released theatrically, and that may have put you off seeing it. Now it is available on DVD, it is certainly worth a viewing.