Brilliant use of metaphor, amazing movie

I recently bought this movie and have watched it several times. It took me a couple viewings to appreciate the nuances and the terrific use of metaphor throughout to illustrate exactly why Joanna and Marc have stayed together, and their relationship to one another...All through different modes of transportation (thus, the "road")...

The first important scene is, of course, on the boat when he can't find his passport. The first "border" he can't cross. She easily reaches into his bag and retrieves it for him. He disregards her and they go their separate ways...only to encounter one another again on the bus. He is, of course, taken in by the other woman, who is more outwardly flirtatious. Joanna is quieter, she's not in-your-face but her presence is still powerful. When the other girl is taken sick, Joanna and Marc start hitchiking together, thus beginning their journey down the road. There is one scene which I think is pretty pivotal - the scene in which he tells her there is "nothing he hates more than an indispensible woman". I think this is vital to understanding his character - he is terrified of needing anyone. Despite his bravado, he's remarkably insecure. Joanna seems to know this instinctively, and thus she just listens quietly to his diatribe, nodding but not trying to object. She sees through his BS, and accepts him regardless.

Then of course is the scene where they can't find a car to stop for both of them together. He tells her they must go their separate ways, and of course she doesn't object. She's easily picked up by the flashy Alpha Romeo while he has to walk. The first isntance of her "leaving" him, in a car, while he struggles. Of course, once he comes to the crossroads, she is there waiting for him.

Then, the scene on the beach before they are supposed to part. She tells him she never wants to see him again and runs away from him, but then he suggests they get married, because of course he needs her. And she runs back to him.

Next is the scene where she seemingly leaves him once again for the other man. He's been ignoring her, and she craves the attention that the other man gives her. You see them in a plane, lifting off - another mode of transportation. But, inevitably, she returns to Marc. She could have had a life with a man completely devoted to her, but it's as if she knows how much Marc needs her (and when he says "Thank G-d", you can hear the relief in his voice).

Then, the scene from the beginning when she gets out of the car and starts walking away. He tells her he loves her, and she gets back in the car, because they are on this road together...

And the two brilliant final scenes. After the party, when he again tries to push her away by asking if she wants a divorce, yet keeps telling her he loves her (so filled with emotion, brilliant acting by Albert Finney). She asks him point blanc why he thinks she has been there all these years, and he finally admits he doesn;t know. At this point it is clear that she is stronger than he is, and she knows this. He can't fathom why someone would want to stay with him. But she does, because they are a "fixture", on this road together in spite of everything.

And then, of course, the last scene. They are at a border again just like at the beginning, and again he has misplaced his passport. He once again can't cross into the next country - to the next stage of his life - without her. She retrieves it, reminding him once again that she is "indispensable" to him, even if that fact terrifies him. And so he calls her a b-tch. And she responds
"b-stard". But, ironically, they are both smiling as they say this. They haven't changed - they will still bicker, but that's their dynamic. Not sunshine and roses, but an acceptance of the fact that their journey is a shared one.

Anyway, this is ridiculously long, but I adore this movie and had to expound on it!