Reservation Road (2007)

Grief and Guilt

College professor Ethan Learner (Joaquin Phoenix) has spent a lovely day with his wife Grace (Jennifer Connelly), and their young daughter Emma (Elle Fanning) enjoying 10-year-old son Josh's (Sean Curley), cello recital and playing in the harbor-side park. That evening, on their way home, they stop at a gas station. While Grace takes Emma to the restroom and Ethan is otherwise distracted, young Josh gets out of the car and ventures toward the road -- Reservation Road.

At the same time, lawyer Dwight Arno (Mark Ruffalo) is driving his 11-year-old son Lucas (Eddie Alderson) home from a Red Sox game. He knows he'll face the wrath of his ex-wife Ruth Wheldon (Mira Sorvino) for having Lucas home so late, but the game had run into overtime. As Dwight contemplates the confrontation and how many times he's apparently screwed up in the past, he rounds a curve in the road. Momentarily distracted, his SUV swings too wide and strikes Josh Learner, killing the child instantly.

Dwight slows down but doesn't stop, instead comforting his son who had been jolted awake by the thud and sudden swerve correction. "We hit a log," Dwight tells Lucas. Then Dwight speeds off and decides to deal with this accident after he's returned Lucas home.

Of course, his ex-wife is livid and her husband Norris (Gary Kohn) tries to run interference between her and Dwight, but still Ruth is able to browbeat and berate Dwight for all past transgressions. Once he's returned home himself, he makes the effort to contact authorities but just can't carry through with it. Thoughts loomed large of how he would let down Lucas and once again guilty of judgement errors.

What follows is the story of Ethan Learner's profound grief and Dwight Arno's profound guilt.

Police Sargeant Burke (Antoni Corone) assures Ethan that everything is being done to find the hit-and-run driver but weeks drag on with no clues, no information for the Learner family, other than Ethan's own vague description of a dark blue SUV. Ethan finally decides he may well have to take matters into his own hands.

This is a powerful and dramatic film. The Learner's grief and Dwight's remorse are palpable. While the film only runs 102 minutes, it feels like much longer so my only complaint would be that more editing should have been done because we see the emotions shown in the raw over and over again. There is also considerable coincidence in how the Learners and Arno end up connected to each other after the accident, but given that this is a small Connecticut town, it's somewhat believable that their lives would intersect.

Directed by Terry George from a novel by John Burnham Schwartz.

Rated R for language and some disturbing images.

My personal rating: B