A powerful study of humanity and its demise, 'The Road' is a somber and heart-wrenching journey of a father and son struggling to survive the end of the world by following the road south, fuelled by the hope that the coast will offer them some sort of reprieve.

Based on the Pulitzer-prize winning novel of the same name by Cormac McCarthy, 'The Road' is no Hollywood-style end of days rollercoaster ride, but rather a slow burn that never lets up. There is no exit plan here, no end to the nightmare that the planet has become, and that makes it tough to watch.

The father (Viggo Mortensen) is ultimately hanging on to life in order to teach his son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) how to survive in a world most choose to leave willingly. This includes the boy's mother ? played via flashbacks by a haunted Charlize Theron ? who when faced with a choice of 'just surviving' or death chooses the latter?

As the father and son cling desperately to their humanity, and their belief that 'they're the good guys', the rest of the planet seems to have lost all traces of their own by turning to theft, murder and cannibalism.

Whatever happened to cause such destruction is never fully explained, but all you need to know is that it did a number on the planet. Shot in deep grey hues, and accompanied by a melancholy score from Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, there is little hope on the road.

We follow the pair south as they wind their way down the grey, barren road, battling the elements and the few survivors they come in contact with, armed only with a pistol and two bullets. The father, clinging desperately to his sanity, will protect the boy at any costs, but as he spirals downward into increasing paranoia, the boy is forced to carry their moral compass.

When the duo stumble upon a bomb shelter laden with supplies there is the briefest moment of salvation, but it is fleeting as the man's fear drives them onwards, taking only what they can fit in their cart, fleeing an imaginary or very real pursuer.

'The Road' makes for bleak viewing, but the performances of the main protagonists will strike a chord, cut you deep, and stay with you for some time to come.