Reservation Road
(MA) Roadshow DVD

An intense drama based on the novel by John Burhnam Schwartz, Reservation Road is the story of two men whose lives are altered dramatically by a tragic accident.

Ethan Learner (Joaquin Phoenix) and his wife Emma (Jennifer Connelly) are consumed with grief after their son Josh (Sean Curley) is struck and killed in a freak hit and run accident.

The man behind the wheel was Dwight Arno (Mark Ruffalo), a divorcee who was racing to get his own son back in time in accordance with a custody agreement. As a lawyer, Dwight is all too familiar with the consequences of his actions and proceeds to cover up the evidence.

The police can’t find any leads and the case quickly turns cold. Time passes but Ethan has become consumed with finding his son’s killer.

In a bizarre coincidence, he shows up at Dwight’s office seeking legal counsel about catching and prosecuting the perpetrator. With guilt eating away at Dwight, he resolves to turn himself in but not before he has a proper goodbye with his own son.

When an image suddenly jars Ethan’s memory of the accident, he begins to piece things together, causing him to quickly seek his retaliation, which results in a gripping and emotional stand-off.

Joaquin Phoenix and Jennifer Connelly offer a painfully realistic portrait of grieving parents. Mark Ruffalo is equally impressive as the tormented and conflicted Dwight.

At points difficult to watch, there are a few too many coincidences and the melodrama is occasionally applied with a trowel, but director Terry George has crafted a complex tale of loss and the long, difficult road to healing.

Adrian Drayton