Emotional drama starring Joaquin Phoenix and Mark Ruffalo as two fathers whose lives are changed forever by a terrible accident. Law associate Dwight Arno (Ruffalo) and his son Lucas (Eddie Alderson) are driving back to Lucas' mother's (Mira Sorvino) house after attending a baseball game. When Dwight swerves to avoid an oncoming car he hits 10-year-old Josh Learner (Sean Curley), killing him instantly. Panicked, Dwight speeds off. The only witness to the hit and run is Josh's father Ethan (Phoenix). The police are called in, and an investigation begins. Haunted by the tragedy, both fathers react in unexpected ways, as do Ethan's wife Grace (Jennifer Connelly) and his daughter Emma (Elle Fanning). As the investigation falters, Ethan loses patience with the police and begins his own search for truth and justice... From . After grappling with civil war in Some Mother's Son and Hotel Rwanda, Terry George turns to the tranquility of the American suburbs. Based on the novel by John Burnham Schwartz, Reservation Road marks a smooth transition into seemingly alien territory. The Northern Irish director first introduces Connecticut professor Ethan () and attorney Dwight (). One night, they end up on the same road Ethan is returning with his wife () and kids from a school recital, Dwight and his son are heading home after a baseball game. In an instant, Ethan's boy is killed in a hit-and-run accident. Dwight knows what he's done, but doesn't say a word, as he doesn't want to lose custody of his child. Impatient for justice, Ethan becomes convinced the authorities will never solve the case, so he tries to track down the killer himself. Coincidence builds on coincidence--Dwight's ex-wife (Mira Sorvino) teaches Ethan's daughter (Elle Fanning), and Ethan hires Dwight as his lawyer. Just as the attorney-client relationship forces the two men to work together, the script asks the same of these gifted actors. Fortunately, Phoenix and Ruffalo rise to the occasion. That said, movies about grieving parents can be a tough sell. It remains to be seen whether Reservation Road will benefit from the success of In the Bedroom and Mystic River--or suffer from the onslaught of cinematic grief. At the very least, it allows more light in at the end of its dark journey into the soul. -- Kathleen C. Fennessy Synopsis A wrenching drama, Reservation Road is the story of two men whose lives are torn apart by a tragic accident. Ethan Learner (Joaquin Phoenix) and his wife Emma (Jennifer Connelly) are consumed with grief after their son Josh (Sean Curley) is struck by a hit and run driver. The man behind the wheel was Dwight Arno (Mark Ruffalo), a divorcee who was racing to get his own son back in time in accordance with a custody agreement. A lawyer himself, Dwight is all too familiar with the consequences of his actions. Unsure of what to do, he panics, then conceals his car in his garage. Lucky for him, the police can't find any leads, and the case quickly turns cold. Time passes, and Emma wants her family to heal and get on with their lives, but Ethan has become consumed with finding his son's killer. In a bizarre coincidence, he shows up at Dwight's office seeking legal advice about how to catch and prosecute the perpetrator. The guilt is eating away at Dwight, and he makes a plan to turn himself in, but not before he has a proper goodbye with his own son. When an image suddenly jars Ethan's memory of the accident, he begins to piece things together, causing him to quickly seek his retaliation, which results in a gripping and emotional stand-off. Joaquin Phoenix and Jennifer Connelly are excellent as the grieving parents, both offering a painfully realistic portrait of grief. Mark Ruffalo is equally impressive as the tormented and conflicted Dwight. While the film works nicely as both thriller and family drama, it at times has an emotional intensity that can be almost difficult to watch. Yet, all tear-jerking elements aside, director Terry George has crafted a smart and complex tale of loss, and the long, difficult road to healing.
