Revolutionary Road is a screen adaptation directed by British filmmaker Sam Mendez, who brought us American Beauty and Road to Perdition. Mendez is married to the British actress, Kate Winslet, who stars as April Wheeler in Revolutionary Road. How is it that outsiders can have such a sharp view of American themes and landscapes? The premise of the movie is about an American couple in the 1950's, which are supposedly living the "American Dream," with the beautiful suburban house, the two kids and successful career, and yet who are deeply unhappy with their lives. It made me think of two other similar films that explore this theme in which life is not all what it seems beneath the glossy exterior: American Beauty (Mendez) and The Ice Storm, directed by Ang Lee; both foreign directors.

The shots are beautifully filmed; the close-ups of the characters provide additional intimacy with them. The movie open with a jazz piece suited for the era, and the score itself is a delicate piano which paces the film nicely and adds a bit of tension and redundancy to the tempo which mirrors the strained relations of Frank and April (Leo DiCaprio and Winslet, in their first film together since Titanic). Initially, I thought this would be strictly about life in the '50's, in the post-war, baby-boomer era that gave rise and definition to industrial growth, urban sprawl and American lifestyle. The Wheelers own a beautiful house on Revolutionary Road, away from the city where Frank commutes by train to work. But as the story and their relationship progresses, the setting seems transcended. This could be any place, at any time and in any marriage. (Another great movie that explores similar themes in Europe is Metroland, starring Christian Bale, Emily Watson and Elsa Zylberstein). April reminds Frank that they are special people, with higher ideals; that they needn't have the same lives as everyone else. She argues that they move to Paris.

The "discontentment within" is not a new theme in domestic living. Somerset Maugham explores this wonderfully in his classic novel, The Razor's Edge, about one man's desire to abandon all materialism and live a spiritual life after WWI. As the Wheelers confront their existence head on, we begin to wonder if perhaps this isn't just a normal part of growing up within a marriage, of losing certain freedoms and luxuries upon having responsibilities. But they can't seem to escape the prisons of their own reality and the couple suffers throughout.

There is something sublime and almost gothic in this portrait of modern marriage, as directed by Mendez. And as the movie progresses it continues to transcend the couple themselves. One of the more surprising and entertaining roles in this film is about a man, recently released from a mental institution, played by Michael Shannon. His character was a mathematician, subjected to electroshock therapy in the hospital. A once brilliant, but now affected man, he gets an opportunity to weigh in on the Wheeler's plight, based only on observation. He is embarrassingly funny in his total honest and spot on observations, seemingly unable to curb his thoughts or what he says before polite company. At first meeting, the Wheelers concede that he is the only one of their friends who gets them. At a later meeting, Frank is ready to kill him. The supporting cast also features Kathy Bates, Zoe Kazan and Kathryn Hahn. Revolutionary Road gets all around high marks for performance and direction.

MPAA Rating: R