Last Updated on March 13, 2021 by Elena Ciobanu
I think it’s one of the greatest film ever made.
It’s about a passionate, young married couple in the mid-1950s and how they deal with their relationship, their shifting desires, pressures to conform or break free and feel fully alive.
This film really moved me, like few others. It’s beautifully acted, does an excellent job recreating life in the 50s, and has wonderful background music.
Revolutionary Road is a haunting, thought provoking exploration of what makes a fulfilling life, though I feel there’s a hollowness even at the core of the the troubled couple’s highest aspirations to transcend the ordinary.
I’d like to see a film that goes even further with the challenges we humans should have faced in the 50s and still face in the 2010s.
I know not every film will directly tackle global survival issues, and that’s OK, I guess. Everything’s linked together, so exploring any aspect of life can be of great value. This film certainly is.
There’s also a role for pure escapism, and I enjoy many such films.
But there’s room to create new works that entertain, while they also move and inspire us to make a much better world, as I know we can.
The best possible life?
Many of us work at routine, sometimes incredibly frustrating jobs. We do this to provide a life we believe is comfortable and secure for those we love. Meanwhile, artists set aside material comforts to express themselves and create something of lasting beauty. Social entrepreneurs work to change our world. Mystics strive to experience and express The Spirit, here and now, in this life.
All these aspirations are valuable. Can we attain them all? I believe the answer is yes.
I’ll share the exciting things I’m learning about all this in upcoming blog posts.
More on the film
Released in early 2009, Revolutionary Road stars Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio. They give excellent performances, as do many other actors in this film. You probably can get the DVD free from your local library.
Internet Movie Database web pages on cast, plot summary, synopsis, and more:
It’s theme music is as beautiful as the film: ,a longer version:, and another piece by its composer, Thomas Newman, with some weird, sometimes beautiful artwork:
A way you can can make a very big difference: