Reservation Road, He Said

In this thriller, we look at the capacity of man for revenge and the price of the silent burden of guilt. What is worse being a good man who is wronged and a good man who has done wrong? When Michael Dukakis was asked during a presidential debate how he would react to finding out his wife had been raped, the correct answer might have been that he would like to kill the perpetrator. Anyone would feel the urge for revenge, but we live in a society that believes it has solutions under law. The law, while not perfect, is better than each of us having to seek truth and justice on our own. Witness the tale of Reservation Road.

A family returning home stops at a convenience store. Dad, Ethan, played by Joaquin Phoenix, needs to shop and sister, Emma, played by Elle Fanning, needs to use the bathroom. The son, played by Sean Curley chooses to release some fireflies he has captured. During their layover, the boy is killed by a passing car.

The car is driven by an attorney who is returning home with his son. Dwight Arno portrayed by Mark Ruffalo is late delivering his son home to his estranged wife. He is driving too fast. As he swerves to avoid an oncoming truck, hits and kills the boy.

In a world that grows smaller by the scene. Ethan and Dwight cross paths. Dwight's ex-wife is Elle's piano teacher. Ethan hires Dwight and his law partner to assist him in his pursuit of the ht and run driver. Ethan has no idea that Dwight is the man, but of course, Dwight knows exactly who Ethan is.

Dwight is a tortured man. He carries the guilt of his failed marriage, his concern for being the proper father to his son and finally the knowledge that he has killed and run away. His pain is real and Ruffalo does an amazing job of showing us this pain.

Ethan is a also a man in pain. His pain is driving him into unusual and self destructive behaviour. He becomes obsessed with finding the killer, convinced the police have given up their pursuit. He is further incensed by Internet sites that play into his paranoid and pathetic outlook. He becomes remote, turning his back on his wife and daughter. His delusion leads him to accuse the wrong people and alienate him from the police.

Finally, Ethan figures out who the guilt party is and plots to kill him. The ending is not what you might expect, but is satisfying and realistic. Trying to figure out who is hurt most in this tragic tale of carelessness and fear is difficult, but like most great drama it's not who done it that counts. What counts is how you felt about an issue before the story is told and does it challenge your beliefs. The story doesn't have to change your mind but it has to make you think. This film entertains while it makes you think as you jump back and forth across the moral broomstick trying to figure out who, if either, is right and who is wrong.