I watched this movie yesterday in a friend’s house.
Reservation Road is a movie based on a novel about a hit-and-run accident. It shows the 2 sides of the story; the family whose son died because of the accident and the family whose father accidentally hits the kid with his vehicle.
The movie is quite pleasant to watch and certainly has its moments of tears and tensions. Dwight (Mark Ruffalo) is the dad who hits the kid with his car accidentally. He hesitated after hitting the kid but decided to run away, coz he’s scared. If you were him, what would you do? If you stop, you’ll go to jail and will leave your family behind. You’re not drunk and you’re not doing it on purpose. Or are you going to run away and pretend as if nothing has ever happened, and let the guilt haunt you forever?
On the other side, Ethan (Joaquin Phoenix) and Grace (Joaquin Phoenix) Lerner have a hellish life after their dearest son is taken away from them. Tensions, fights, sorrows are starting to get a hold of their lives. Ambitions and hatred has cloud their minds, especially Ethan.
What makes the movie interesting is that these families are actually connected to one another (it’s a small city where they live).
As the movie progresses, struggles inside of each family are built up nicely in the movie, but feels a bit draggy in the middle of the movie.
When you are watching this movie, have a personal reflection, and ask to yourself: “What would I do in that position?”. You may answer it quickly, but if you really think about it, can you do it when the event really hits you?
The good quality acting of the actors and actresses brings emotional tensions and drama to the movie.
Overall, I enjoyed it, but it’s not really a movie where you want to watch it again, knowing how the story unfolds.
