Remember that time I drowned in Titanic? That was good times — Kate and Leo, together again

Revolutionary Road

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The opening sequence of Revolutionary Road reveals great insight into the story that is about to unfold. The curtain closes on a production at a community theatre, and within minutes, April (Kate Winslet) and Frank (Leonardo DiCaprio) engage in a verbal war. The film catches them at the end of their romance — the curtain has closed on their passion, and we bear witness to April and Frank’s existential crisis. From outside appearances this couple has it made: they are the envy of their neighbours and the pride of a local estate agent played by Kathy Bates. These are not the fresh young lovers of Titanic, but rather an unhappy couple entering their 30s and stuck in ordinary suburban life.

We learn through flashbacks that April was an aspiring actress and Frank an idealistic young man. They met at a party and dreamed of travel and adventure, but an early pregnancy saddled them with a house in the burbs and two kids (who rarely make an appearance). April’s growing mental anguish and Frank’s boredom as a corporate drone have drained their relationship of happiness, and they question their future. The one thing that had kept April and Frank going was thinking they were above their existence in the suburbs, but after years without change they wonder if this is all life has to offer. At her wit’s end, April hatches a plan to move the family to Paris and start over. She convinces Frank of her pipe dream and, for a summer, the couple is temporarily happy, until their world once again starts to crumble.

While the acting is superb, including a well-deserved best actress win at the Golden Globes for Winslet, the story feels stale. The bar for mid-century drama has been set high by the award-winning TV series Mad Men, which captures the trappings of the decade’s domestic life with perfection. In Revolutionary Road, director Sam Mendes moves the story of the couple’s unravelling marriage at a slow pace that peaks with explosive and emotional dialogue. The language and the couple’s pain are visceral, but the material feels better suited for a television series or a play. As a film, it just leaves you feeling depressed.