* Suggestion by Jedidiah Ayres and Keith Rawson. *
I often tell people that when it comes to fiction, I'm a "meaning" kind of guy. I can read the same story over and over again, as long as the recurring elements have a profound, often symbolic meaning for the characters and the narrative as a whole. There's nothing special about THE ROVER on the surface. Nevermind the Mad Max throwback setting, it's just another story about a pissed off loner hell bent on revenge. Except that it's not. If you dig a little into THE ROVER, you'll find a harsh, but beautiful narrative about remaining human when the world around you disintegrates before your eyes. Forget about the flashy presentation, this movie shines in its most intangible moments.
Eric (Guy Pearce) is a pissed off loner riding his car into the sunset. When he stops for an existential break, his hell bent ride to nowhere is interrupted by a gang of thugs on the run, after pulling a job. They steal his car after crashing their trucks into a pile of rubble and instead of just swapping ride and carrying on in his lawless new world, Eric decides to chase the thugs and get his freakin' ride back because, well, we have no idea really. There's obviously something of value in that car, and Eric will stop at nothing in order to get it back. On his way to Vengeance City, Eric picks up the little brother of one of the thugs (Robert Pattinson) who they left to die on the concrete after he got shot during the job in order to get info on the crew's whereabouts. He's a companion, a hostage, a dead man walking, whatever you want to call it.
It sounds a little silly, doesn't it? That's because what happens on screen doesn't tell the entire story in THE ROVER. It's an existential mystery wrapped in a rather conventional crime flick. It's a movie with several blanks you'll need to fill in order to tie the scenes together. The protagonist Eric is the central mystery in THE ROVER and the latent meaning to his actions reveal more about the storyline than what in the actual scene. I'm aware to be mildly spoiling the movie by telling you Eric always had ulterior motives, but there is more to this movie than the obvious Cormac McCarthy-inspired settings and the Jarmusch-esque use of silence. Also the more experienced viewer will understand that a man doesn't get so pissed off about the jacking of his car if he wasn't going places with it. It's not something you tend to get offended by in the midst of a global economic collapse.
Eric (Guy Pearce) is a pissed off loner riding his car into the sunset. When he stops for an existential break, his hell bent ride to nowhere is interrupted by a gang of thugs on the run, after pulling a job. They steal his car after crashing their trucks into a pile of rubble and instead of just swapping ride and carrying on in his lawless new world, Eric decides to chase the thugs and get his freakin' ride back because, well, we have no idea really. There's obviously something of value in that car, and Eric will stop at nothing in order to get it back. On his way to Vengeance City, Eric picks up the little brother of one of the thugs (Robert Pattinson) who they left to die on the concrete after he got shot during the job in order to get info on the crew's whereabouts. He's a companion, a hostage, a dead man walking, whatever you want to call it.
It sounds a little silly, doesn't it? That's because what happens on screen doesn't tell the entire story in THE ROVER. It's an existential mystery wrapped in a rather conventional crime flick. It's a movie with several blanks you'll need to fill in order to tie the scenes together. The protagonist Eric is the central mystery in THE ROVER and the latent meaning to his actions reveal more about the storyline than what in the actual scene. I'm aware to be mildly spoiling the movie by telling you Eric always had ulterior motives, but there is more to this movie than the obvious Cormac McCarthy-inspired settings and the Jarmusch-esque use of silence. Also the more experienced viewer will understand that a man doesn't get so pissed off about the jacking of his car if he wasn't going places with it. It's not something you tend to get offended by in the midst of a global economic collapse.
Oh yeah, THE ROVER is also kind of beautiful.
Visually, I thought THE ROVER spoke volumes through its use of filth and grime. Every character is sweaty and dirty, and seems prisoner of that quintessential muck, like a pack of damned souls. Some of them are trying to redeem their hopeless condition through symbolic acts. They are trying to transcend their reality through whatever is intangible, sometimes a simple kindness or a friendly conversation. The movies in itself is a statement on the human condition, on what makes us similar and what makes us different from animals in the wild. There is a lot under the hood in THE ROVER, it's both a great narrative and it makes a strong use of visual storytelling in order to carry its themes across..
THE ROVER is not a movie meant to blow you away upon your first viewing. It's beautiful indeed, but it's a movie that stays with you and resonates louder and louder over time, thanks to its powerful final scene putting the entire film in perspective. THE ROVER is a ''meaning'' kind of movie, I guess, where the intangible and the unsaid are actually more important than the flashy(and pleasant, it's not all for show) visual presentation. It's a movie that requires patience and focus, but it won't be lost on any viewer that doesn't throw in the towel first. If you like movies that require a little work without driving you insane, THE ROVER is a solid viewing.