Revolutionary Road ( 1st attempt at movie review)

Repost from FB notes: 

After The Titanic, it is most refreshing to watch Kate and Leonardo in a less than fairy tale relationship. This couple has one of the best on-screen chemistry, and did well to bring much emotional depth to the saga of a suburban married life.

To me, the title Revolutionary Road is an apt name for the movie, although in spirit, the story was more revolutionary in the emotional journey rather than in the life paths undertaken by this stormy but passionate couple. Leonardo's and April's life was enviable to many in the 1950s. He, barely in his thirties, was an upcoming hotshot in a large company and continuing the legacy of his old man's job while she  was not just an ordinary housewife in a  nice suburban house. She has artistic passion, tried acting, could dance rather well and carried herself with an elegant dignity. Married with two young kids, it was the quintessential American dream came true. It was easy to believe this couple had it all. Beneath the nice façade however, simmered much unfulfilled youthful passions and unrealised dreams. April (Kate) wanted to seek life elsewhere while Leonardo felt trapped in a white-coloured job that he hated. They both felt they were special and could have asked for a lot more in life, but surrounded by a boring staid and emotionally sterile neighbourhood, they struggled and fought for the conviction to leave the sinking ship (Titanic pun intended).

It is not a new storyline but the acting was superb. Interwoven into the domestic boring realm of couplehood, were occasional sparks of emotional brilliance that touched one heart. What I enjoyed most was the presence of a mentally ill friend who ironically and wonderfully injected sanity to the whole existence. As expected, Kate and Leonardo carried the show with their larger than life personas. Sadly, the whole road turned out to be more tumultous than revolutionary, an unfortunate one that is paved with tainted trust and decaying love. It revealed how the bonds in marriage could both be binding yet choking. Trust Sam Mendes (American Beauty) to bring out the pent up emotions of a bottled life, and showcased the destruction of love almost too hauntingly.

I just found out that Sam Mendes and Kate Winslet are real-life married couple (ooh, must have been amazing for Leonardo to be directed by the husband in those intense love-making scene!). We have seen more glamorous marriages falling apart like War of the Roses, but Revolutionary Road seems more real and the conversations were more heartfeltly penetrating. It raised more questions than answers and leaves one wondering if marriage is all that suitable for everyone with a simmering dream.