A tale of anger, revenge, and great courage, Reservation Road follows two fathers as their families and lives converge. On a warm September evening, college professor Ethan Learner (Joaquin Phoenix), his wife Grace (Jennifer Connelly), and their daughter Emma (Elle Fanning) are attending a recital. Their 10-year-old son Josh (Sean Curley) is playing cello – beautifully, as usual. His younger sister looks up to him, and his parents are proud of their son. On the way home, they all stop at a gas station on Reservation Road. There, in one terrible instant, he is taken from them forever. On that same, warm September evening, law associate Dwight Arno (Mark Ruffalo) and his 11-year-old son Lucas (Eddie Alderson) are attending a Red Sox game. Dwight cherishes his time spent with Lucas. Driving his son back to his ex-wife, Lucas' mother Ruth Wheldon (Mira Sorvino), Dwight heads towards his fateful encounter at Reservation Road. The accident happens so fast that Lucas is all but unaware, while Ethan – the only witness – is all too aware, as a panicked Dwight speeds away. The police are called, and an investigation begins. Haunted by the tragedy, both fathers react in unexpected ways, as do Grace and Emma. As a reckoning looms, the two fathers are forced to make the hardest choices of their lives.
I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this movie. It was an excellently done character drama. You find yourself almost immediately attached to all the characters and all of the emotions that they go through. It was so well crafted that I found myself feeling bad for Mark Ruffalo even though he ran a kid down and took off. It really makes you wonder how you would feel if put in their different points of view.
I very strongly recommend people checking this one out. Its not exactly the easiest watch because at times its so gut wrenching, but it is one of the better movies out there.
