(My Synopsis) Ethan Learner (Joaquin Phoenix), his wife Grace (Jennifer Connelly), their 10-year old son Josh (Sean Curley), and younger daughter Emma (Elle Fanning) are going home after Josh's musical recital. On their way home, Ethan stops at a gas station on Reservation Road. What was a simple act of stopping at the gas station turns into a life changing event. In a split second Josh is hit by an SUV and killed. Dwight Arno (Mark Ruffalo) is the driver of the SUV and for a split second he stops, because it was an accident, then he panics and runs. The state police are called, and they begin to investigate the hit and run. As time goes by, both men are living in emotional turmoil and agony over this event.
(My Comment) The movie is an emotional tug-of-war from start to finish. The father and mother are in pain with losing a son from the hit and run car accident. The person who ran the boy over with his SUV is in pain every day with seeing the accident in his head. This is one situation where a person really doesn't know how he would react until it occurs. Through your survival instincts would you run or would you do the right thing, and stop. The story is true to life as to how people react to a tragic event. Emotions are intense where everybody is blaming each other for the accident, just as in real life. Many people can only feel better about themselves if they can deflect blame by claiming an unfortunate or tragic event is someone else's fault. It is human nature, also, to play the "if only" role if only I hadn't stopped at that gas station. But that is what accidents are all about, and hindsight is 20-20. Ethan must make the choice to hate and get his revenge, or to forgive and move on with life; otherwise, he will lose the rest of his family. Dwight must choose to admit his guilt or bury it inside himself and live in torment. The movie makes you confront your inner self, which guides you to do the right thing in life's hard situations, or to choose to give into fear, pain, or shame, and take the superficial easy way out, and live with the inner self blame and sorrow that follows. If you see this movie, you will be emotionally drained by the time you leave. (Focus Features, Run time 1:42, Rated R)(6/10)
(My Comment) The movie is an emotional tug-of-war from start to finish. The father and mother are in pain with losing a son from the hit and run car accident. The person who ran the boy over with his SUV is in pain every day with seeing the accident in his head. This is one situation where a person really doesn't know how he would react until it occurs. Through your survival instincts would you run or would you do the right thing, and stop. The story is true to life as to how people react to a tragic event. Emotions are intense where everybody is blaming each other for the accident, just as in real life. Many people can only feel better about themselves if they can deflect blame by claiming an unfortunate or tragic event is someone else's fault. It is human nature, also, to play the "if only" role if only I hadn't stopped at that gas station. But that is what accidents are all about, and hindsight is 20-20. Ethan must make the choice to hate and get his revenge, or to forgive and move on with life; otherwise, he will lose the rest of his family. Dwight must choose to admit his guilt or bury it inside himself and live in torment. The movie makes you confront your inner self, which guides you to do the right thing in life's hard situations, or to choose to give into fear, pain, or shame, and take the superficial easy way out, and live with the inner self blame and sorrow that follows. If you see this movie, you will be emotionally drained by the time you leave. (Focus Features, Run time 1:42, Rated R)(6/10)