I don’t think I have ever felt so many different feelings while watching a movie. This movie has disturbing moments, heartwarming moments, heartbreaking moments, and thrilling moments.

This movie was super compelling just in general. It tells a story about a father and his boy just trying to survive and find hope through possibly the worst version of a dystopian world that you could possibly live in. The father and his son were both very well developed and complex characters that you care about deeply. I don’t want to spoil anything, but I will say I loved how the son served as the sort of moral compass for his dad.

Both are super easy to understand why they are the way they are too. The father has a sad backstory and has lost and suffered more, making it believable that he would be less hopeful and helpful, while the boy is more innocent and less understanding of the world around him, making it believable that he would be more hopeful and more willing to help others.

The acting by the way, is really, really good. Of course you have Viggo Mortensen delivering a very believable performance, but honestly the stand out was easily the child actor playing the little boy. He doesn’t outact Viggo or anything, but I don’t know if I’ve ever seen such a good and subtle performance from someone so young before.

The cinematography is spectacular too. It’s shot to look almost muddy and wet, and the color grading’s lack of vibrancy really adds to the overall effect and feel of the movie. There are some really gorgeous shots too, lots of them having to do with a large body of water.

As I briefly mentioned at the very beginning, there are some pretty intense sequences as well. Plenty of “Don’t go in there!” moments that really had me on the edge of my seat. I also never really knew if anyone was going to pop out of nowhere and do something bad to our main characters.

I almost teared up a couple of times during some of the both heartwarming and heartbreaking scenes. The hope factor of this movie really resonated with me, as seeing a father and his son pushing through hard times really hit me.

A super beautiful, inspiring, and heartfelt story that I honestly think I really needed right now. Was definitely worth the watch and I absolutely loved the ending.