They obviously ate the boy - The Road (2009) Discussion

[–] darvis_86 9 years ago

The kid was obviously an idiot. For someone having known nothing about the world before, he trusted everything and everyone. Of course the first person that comes along and lies to him is going to gain his trust. They probably had a "boy bbq" after messing around with him for a bit.

reply

[–] TheDarkKnightMatter 8 years ago

My thoughts exactly. He was born in the times of the apocalypse, so why is he such a whinny little bitch? This kid had no balls at all. I grew up in a rough neighborhood around his age, and I knew not to trust anyone and to watch my back.

I forgot to mention that he screamed and talked so *beep* loud at every climatic scene. *beep* that little kid ruined the movie.

State champ in martial arts. Trained with firearms. Don't be a keyboard warrior.

reply

[–] beer_and_veg 8 years ago

thank you. I spent at least the last 30 minutes of the film going, 'oh, shut up already.' I mean, this kid has known nothing but this post-apocalyptic world, yet he moans and whines constantly. Cannibals coming into the house? Don't hide and be quiet, rather start refusing loudly to kill yourself. That makes sense. Clearly, this boy should have already been dead by this point. The father would have been better off actually teaching the boy something instead of saying 'you need to know how to take care of yourself when I'm gone.' How about some discipline here? Tell the kid to shut the hell up, for a start.

I don't know if it was bad writing, bad direction or bad acting, but the resulting performance of this young boy ruined the movie. His character made the whole thing completely unbelievable. A soft, whining, trusting, immature boy could not have survived in that world. Given the well-fed look of the dog at the end, I guess the boy wouldn't be around much longer. Shame, this movie could have been much better. I much preferred The Survivalist, which was built on a similar premise but was far more believable.

reply

[–] Fruitcakesintheface 9 years ago

lolololol I don't think they ate him, but something was definitely wrong with them. Why were they worried about him when his dad was obviously taking good care of him? If he were a sensible child, I would be worried about him going with them...they are probably the type who would not let him leave, try to make him forget he ever had a real dad, etc.
But since he is a stupid child, he will probably do just fine in their company.

reply

[–] CorpseCandle 9 years ago

...the fact his father died would prove why they were worried about the boy as the father became to ill to protect his son and died.

The boy at this point was still under prepared to fend for himself. Thier motives had been completely justified. Now wether or not they had good intentions for the lad is another story but then it was left ambiguois for a reason.

reply

[–] Fruitcakesintheface 9 years ago

They followed him for a long time, even before the father got truly, visibly sick. And right up until the very end, the dad cared for his son. So I don't buy that at all.

reply

[–] CorpseCandle 9 years ago

Well they also had a boy of their own and he was uneaten so I am not sure what you're not buying. You are free to imagine what ever ending you please but I don't see why they would follow the couple all the way just to eat the boy when they had a live one of their own.

reply

[–] Fruitcakesintheface 9 years ago

Okay, I clearly said that I DON'T THINK THEY ATE HIM. Reading is fundamental, friend. I'm sure the boy was fine with them, mainly because he is naive and docile but partially because they don't seem like they will harm him.

But I don't think that their concern was normal or like...altruistic. I think they are crazy child collectors. The kids they had with them did not look happy. And I found their concern creepy because again, why would they assume that they could take better care of him than his father, who was obviously doing a fine job keeping him alive and relatively okay until like the very end of the movie. They just made me think of hyenas, like they circled and circled at a safe distance until the dad died and then swooped in to grab the boy. If their intentions were pure, they wouldn't have just creepily followed them for the entire film and then popped out after the dad was dead.

I see them as the type of people who will take the boy in, feed him, care for him, tell him to call them mom and dad, and try to make him forget that he had a real dad, which can be harmful in its own way.

reply

[–] CorpseCandle 9 years ago

I see them as the type of people who will take the boy in, feed him, care for him, tell him to call them mom and dad, and try to make him forget that he had a real dad, which can be harmful in its own way.

If the boy was living in a world like we are right now I would agree. However he was living in a world that not only hostile but it's very enviroment was dying.

Being part of a new extended family that would actually care for him is probably the best that could happen to him after his Fathers death.

reply

[–] Nova_UB313 9 years ago

In the book the family raised the boy, taught him faith, and never let him forget his father. The Road is a story of hope set against a landscape of utter despair.

reply

[–] Sanpaco13 9 years ago

So the fact they didn't eat their own child proves that they wouldn't eat someone else's child? Poor argument. Eating one's own family takes a hell of a lot more desperation than to eat random strangers.

"Is that your IQ or the number of dipwads your mother had?" - Car Pool Man

reply

[–] tbradydvm 9 years ago

In the book, I think it was portrayed a little better but essentially although the father was doing his best, his behavior showed that he was getting weaker and less rational in his behavior, which was what they explained caused their concern. They wanted to approach them both to help but were afraid he would attack them but they were concerned that he wasn't going to last much longer and his son would be alone without help, which was true.

reply

[–] annierob-2 9 years ago

The OP is not so much a glass half empty kinda guy, as a glass smashed on the bar and pushed into someone's face.

It's clear the family at the end were good guys, cautious of being shot by a little boy who's just lost his dad, but OK people. I'm sure they've done bad things to survive but they had two kids and a guard-dog. That dog would have been eaten long ago if they were pure survivalists.

The ending half hour had a few positives to give hope after such crippling bleakness, god I nearly didn't stick with it, there was a live beetle and a bird seen. Insects and birds mean seeds and plant-life are already growing and may grow again as they are vital to spread seeds.

There was a little girl there roughly his age, so maybe if they survive to adulthood, there's a chance to start again. The 7 billion people here now only came from a few pairs.

reply

[–] Kementiri (57) 7 months ago

I'm glad I am not the only one that thought there was a ending. They had a dog, live children and the woman explained their side of the story well. If they really wanted to eat something those two kids and the dog would be sandwiches.

reply

[–] quaxk 9 years ago

They had a dog though, that's usually the first thing starving people eat.

reply

[–] joker4252 9 years ago

I got the impression that the father new something most didn't. Like there was some sort of food source left, like grubs or some sort of insect. That's just my theory on why they didn't seem concerned with taking on another person.

reply

[–] chilone 9 years ago

I got the impression that the father new something most didn't.

Lol.

I don't love her.. She kicked me in the face!!

reply

[–] joker4252 9 years ago

Yeah,cool! You pointed out my mistake.
Now,do you have anything to add to this topic?

reply

[–] chilone 9 years ago

Ca'mon now! That was very helpful. A thank you would be nice for saving you from future embarrassment :)

I don't love her.. She kicked me in the face!!

reply

[–] TheDarkKnightMatter 8 years ago

You must be fun at parties, you know the parties where you're drinking alone. Team NoFriends.

State champ in martial arts. Trained with firearms. Don't be a keyboard warrior.

reply

[–] chilone 8 years ago

Lol! I'm actually the life of parties, usually and I don't drink :)

I don't love her.. She kicked me in the face!!

reply

[–] ethermusic1981 8 years ago

Hahaha!

reply

[–] mental1981 8 years ago

Highly unlikely that they ate the Kid, since they appeared to be competent enough to feed and care for two kids, and a dog. I wouldn't be as caring as they were if I was in their situation. With no promise of hope for my own Kids, why would I seek another mouth to feed, protect, nurse, etc. On the plus side, if he survives a few more years, he would be a usefull addition to the clan. Another human whom you can trust, in a distopian world, is invaluable. The whole repopulation thing would be a no go, though. Whats the point? So we can be back at the same place in another 2000 years? The one to trigger the next nuke in 2000 years could likely be the kid's direct descendant.

reply

[–] Foster (878) a year ago

Thank you ---I didn't have to post

reply