The Road

It’s impossible to say anything about John Hillcoat’s adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road (scripted by dramatist Joe Penhall) without using the word “bleak” – it’s pretty much the epitome of bleakness. A very impressive piece of work, though, with wonderfully moving performances from Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee as father and son making their way through a post-apocalyptic American wilderness, dodging rampaging gangs of cannibals, as they head hopefully, self-deludingly Southwards. Hauntingly beautiful, strangely immersive and ultimately optimistic. A rare Saturday night multiplex experience (thank-you Tesco reward points), and a surprisingly full house – maybe the recent big freeze inspired people to come along and count their blessings.

I spent the festive period working on yet another attempt at a radio play – the first time in many years I’ve had no internet access whilst writing. It only served to confirm my theory that Distraction and Research are pretty much the same thing.