PS This is a Time Capsule for me. This is something I posted online years ago, after seeing the film and I just ran into this again. I still feel this way about this flawed film, that I love....
I saw this Indie film last night titled “On the Road”, which is based off of a book that was written by Jack Kerouac and published in 1957. I have yet to read the book, but after watching the film, I feel like I must read the book that this film was adapted from.
I saw the trailer to “On the Road” months ago on iMDB.com, and right away I knew that I had to see this film starring Kristen Stewart, not because I am a fan of hers, but because the film looked different from anything that she had done before. I could not wait to see this film, the only problem is that the film was not to be released in the USA, but only overseas (the film did not get an official release date in the USA until recently), so there was no way for me to see this film. That was true, until last night, 10/27/2012.
BAM Cinemas, in Brooklyn, NY, did a screening of the film just last night, and I was super excited when I found out. I let my female friend know that I would be going to see this Indie film that looked spectacular, titled “On The Road”, and she decided she wanted to come along. We went to buy our tickets early, went to dinner, then went to the theater to get our seats at 8:40 p.m. (the film started at 9 p.m.). To my surprise, the theater was crowded. We sat down, and spoke until 9 p.m., when the film began.
During the film, there were many moments that made me laugh, and many moments that broke my heart. As I watched this film, I kept thinking to myself, this is a great film, but what is the point? What is the message? I could not figure it out, until after the film, when I was able to sit down and really think about what I had just saw.
There is an underline message to “On the Road”, and it is easy to miss it if you are not careful.
The underline message to “On The Road” was about morality, and choices that we make in life, from what we do to have fun, to who we hang out with. We can choose to work hard, and be good people, or steal, lie, cheat, and use people for all they have until they have had enough of us. We can take the good choices we make, and the bad ones, and learn from them, and grow as people and move on (Sal), or we can continue to do the the wrong things, making poor choices, never learning from the things that we do, willing to do whatever, to whomever, as long as it benefits us, and stay in the same place, never growing as people (Dean). In the end, Sal took all that he did, and learned from it, and grew up, and changed his ways, and who he decided to hang with (when at the end he cut Dean off finally, who was influencing him in a negative way, and holding him back from moving forward in some ways) while Dean continued to live his life the same way, full of poor choices, immorality beyond belief, and ended up homeless, and alone because he used everyone around him to the point that they finally had enough of the abuse (Camille and Marylou are examples), never growing up or learning from the MANY mistakes he made, and staying stuck in the same exact place. One grew and learned while the other was stuck in the same place. Sal applied everything, and did something for himself out of it all, while Dean did the opposite, with his beauty fading, and nothing to offer any longer. The underlined message was about morality and choices that we make, and the consequences that come from these choices.
Once I analyzed the film, I realized that any adult can relate to this film, or any of the characters. The film is one that may go on to be a classic, and rightfully so.