In Cinemas: THE ROAD should be taken by all

'It's alright, it's just another earthquake' utters Viggo Mortensen's character with a tone of near indifference at the start of The Road; a man who can be so blasé about something as catastrophic as an earthquake lives on a different scale of hardship. He and his son endure a life of near perpetual suffering that most have succumbed to long ago. This is a post apocalyptic vision of America where - for reasons undisclosed - the earth is dying. Animals belong to history - plants are soon to join them. It's a world where the roaming hobo hording things in a shopping trolley is king of the road; a world in which the only way to cheat death is by developing a taste for forbidden red meat; a world where the suicidal are the sane and those who battle on to forage for food are deemed foolhardy. Abandon all hope ye who enters here. But wait, for there is more to The Road than unrelenting grimness.

It may look intolerably depressing, but something wonderful, something heart-warming even happens during The Road that transcends the evident despair experienced by the characters. The warm bond between Viggo Mortensen's protective father and his vulnerable young son restores your faith in humanity. Their tenacity to battle on in a world without hope is both noble and inspiring. Putting such a bond into words will always sound sentimental but rest assured, this is a film where the paternal instinct of a father to give his son the best chance of living, is genuinely life-affirming. If you don't feel a modicum of compassion and sympathy for the two spirits on show here, you might be made of stone. Australian director John Hillcoat's adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel is the most gritty and realistic depiction of the post-apocalypse you will ever see. The central character isn't some weapon-wielding warrior like in other films of this genre he's just a man. There is also a refreshing absence of zombies in this vision of the end. Instead this is a film that is about sheer survivalist spirit. Yes, it's gruelling but it's also rewarding in unexpected ways. It depicts the bond of trust and companionship that galvanizes people together when they've braved sheer pain and tortuous conditions. The tone of grimness is harrowing but there are so many moments that have the power to uplift: you'll never feel such a sense of joy at the sight of a tin of Del Monte pears as you do whilst watching The Road.

Such an organic relationship between the characters feels true to life because of the natural performances. Mortensen adds another impeccable performance to a resume that is now looking quietly impressive. He brings a dignity to despair, his face a picture of muted anguish throughout. Kodi Smit Mcphee as Mortensen's character's young boy gives a stirring performance. Vulnerable and innocent, he commands sympathy and concern. His character is an angelic and wonderfully spirited little boy. He's generous and good natured; he has nothing and knows suffering which has given him such a well defined moral compass. It's Smit Mcphee's performance that makes him such a soulful young character in a world of the lost. You want to look after his character as much as his own father does, which gives you an idea of how sympathetic Mcphee is. The central relationship stands in sharp contrast to the disturbing picture of humanity elsewhere in The Road. Desperate conditions give rise to desperate actions - in this vision, people have become ruthlessly cutthroat. As the film is gratifyingly subtle and understated in tone, the raw, unflinching moments of sheer unbridled horror that arise, genuinely shock and chill to the bone. In one scene, a clever re-spin of the: what's-in-the-cellar-of-a-creepy-old-house? cliché brings a moment of terror that will sear into your retinas.

There's some great supporting turns along The Road. Stare into some of the haggard faces on-screen and you might just see Robert Duvall as an introspective old timer and Guy Pearce as a somewhat ambiguous survivor. Charlize Theron isn't as unrecognisable as Duvall and Pearce but she's equally as strong, giving a suitably downbeat performance - in a back-story that gives depth to the linear and lean narrative - as a tortured soul, struggling to hold herself together when faced with such a bleak future. There's considerable doom but a heartening picture of humanity between Mortensen and Mcphee more than alleviates the gloom. The Road is a strangely cathartic and rewarding character-driven piece of work - the most disturbingly naturalistic vision of the end of the world in cinema history.