Revolutionary Road opens with a young man and a young woman (perhaps in their early to mid-twenties), meeting at a party and charming each other with meaningless small talk. In the world of movies, this means there destined to fall in love. In the next scene, time has jumped forward several years; the same couple is now married with children and utterly miserable. A close-up of the man’s face shows lines of weariness, cynicism, and exhaustion, a complete reversal from the youthful vigor he showed just moments earlier. The woman is much older looking, sad and withdrawn; she looks almost beaten down by life.
Based on the 1961 Richard Yates’ novel of the same name, Revolutionary Road tells the story of Frank (Leonardo DiCaprio) and April Wheeler (Kate Winslet), two self-absorbed suburbanites growing dissatisfied with their pedestrian lives and cookie-cutter marriage. Frank has a sales-related job with Knox Business Machines in New York City. It’s the same company his father worked for and it’s the same type of company that thousands of other men Frank’s age work for now. April stays at home with the kids, a young boy and a girl, and diverts herself by acting in atrocious community-theater productions.
Though they appear outwardly happy, Frank turns his attention to other women at the office. In an effort to reignite some passion into their lives, April convinces Frank that they should take the kids and move to Paris, France later in the year. April can get a well-paying job as a government secretary, and Frank can figure out what it is he wants to do, since he always said he never wanted to work at Knox Business Machines. This change is something to look forward to, a reason to keep going. But when an unexpected pregnancy and the promise of a promotion interfere with their latest plans of escape, their marriage begins to fall apart. Contempt quickly replaces compassion and pessimism overcomes hope Before long, Frank and April are pushed to their limit, trampled by tragedy, and faced with a series of impossible choices that will change the course of their lives forever.
Revolutionary Road is very difficult to watch; this is not the sweet yet doomed love story that played out in Titanic. This is a heart wrenching tale that will leave most people squirming in their seats. Frank and April verbally attack each other in the most intimate ways imaginable. Some may be shocked by the casual way in which April approaches abortion. However, that’s just the tip of the iceberg; screenwriter Justin Haythe pits Frank and April against each other in such a way that every argument, embrace, and abusive response feels all too real. As a viewer, you’ll feel as though you’re in the Wheeler’s living room, watching these verbal tug-of-wars.
Director Sam Mendes does an excellent job here; by always making sure the Wheeler’s maintained a sense of realism. Nothing seemed so contrived that it didn’t seem possible. Perhaps he was extra careful because he was directing his wife but Mendes expertly uses his camera. It lingers and retreats exactly when it should, every frame of his composition is precise and his use of static shots and measured cuts amplifies each word Frank and April spew about their marriage. Revolutionary Road steadily devolves into a disheartening suburban nightmare — but Mendes’ only hurdle seems to be finding ways to keep his audience invested in the ugly but realistic study of a marriage gone terribly wrong.
Edge enhancement is the only thing that disrupts Paramount’s sublime 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer, a near-perfect high definition presentation that deftly compliments the tone of Mendes’ film and the complexities of Frank and April’s splintering marriage. Depending on the state of the relationship, Roger Deakins’ palette drifts from warm and healthy to bleak and colorless without ever losing its confident stride. Contrast is stark but comfortable throughout, enhancing the already alluring depth of field and granting each frame increased dimensionality. While whites are occasionally overblown, skintones remain natural, black levels are Paramount has produced a rich, mesmerizing presentation that should please film fans and videophiles alike.
Revolutionary Road’s Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround track effectively does the job. Dialogue is crisp, clean, and perfectly prioritized: arguments convincingly shatter the silence of a quiet room, barbed whispers are sharp and intelligible, and casual conversations are handled with ease. Sure, low-end presence and rear speaker aggression are repressed by the very nature of the film, but nuanced LFE support adds a welcome sense of weight to the soundscape, while a carefully-honed soundfield simmers with subtle ambience and immersive acoustics. Directionality is consistent and precise, pans (despite the track’s front-heavy sonics) allow voices to dance from channel to channel, and dynamics (while sometimes underwhelming) are relatively satisfying.
The Blu-ray edition of Revolutionary Road includes the same special features as its standard DVD counterpart (albeit in high definition).
• Filmmakers’ Audio Commentary: Director Sam Mendes and screenwriter Justin Haythe sit down for a discussion that digs into their adaptation of Yates’ novel, the casting process, the production itself, and the ultimate reception of their efforts.
• Lives of Quiet Desperation (HD, 29 minutes): This overtly understated behind-the-scenes documentary boasts interviews with key members of the cast and crew, details the development of the project, and takes time to dissect the characters and their story.
• The Wages of Truth (HD, 26 minutes): A surprisingly comprehensive look at author Richard Yates’ career and work.
• Deleted Scenes (HD, 26 minutes): Presented with optional commentary, this collection of snips and trims offered more gems than the usual collection of deleted scenes. Each one was wisely cut (particularly when you consider the film’s pacing), but many of them include revealing exchanges and asides that fill out the already fully-realized characters even more.
• Theatrical Trailer (HD, 2 minutes)
