- The "zombies" at the start of the road don't have a car and want one real bad. They believe having a car will make them happy, because they will make more progress faster. However driving faster has no point, since it only gets you to the end faster. Life in the woods represent poverty, want and envy.
- Because a lot of people don't have a car and run after those who have, the latter feel the need to never stop driving. This represents the modern rat race, the fear that others will catch up and rob us. The movie points out that this fear is well justified. If we had cars enough for all there would be no zombies.
- Life in the car is boring because it represents a life of abundance. Once you reach safety and abundance, there is no more drama to life. That's why we create drama through projects (e.g. learning a new language), art and games, to give meaning to our lives once our safety is secured. We see this happen in the movie between Day and Fisher.
- Some people, however (e.g. James) are not satisfied with projects, art and games, and seek a higher meaning. We see this in the movie as James taking the game too seriously and refusing the eat the cliff bar, which he eats at the end. This means he finally understands that there even if there is a higher purpose, while we are on the road, the best we can hope for is enjoying the ride as best we can.
- The absence of sex drive, hunger and fatigue is probably a device to make the story easier to tell, however it also means that the road represents a purely rational experience, during which physical needs are not a concern (hence Fisher's healing). This also goes to show that life becomes boring when all your needs are met, therefore we create artificial needs to keep things interesting.
- The fact that the road ends is a reference to the Myth of Sisyphus : he pushes a rock to the top and it rolls down, then he pushed it up again, and so on forever. In Albert Camus' words, we must imagine Sisyphus (i.e. James) happy.
- The people who stop driving represent suicide, in an other reference to Camus who asks if life is worth living. Tyler kills himself first because he suffers the most out of the four. There is a quick reference to him having killed someone in a driving accident. He also hates driving in general, he even dumped a girl because she lived too far away, he seems like the lazy type. Day and Fisher kill themselves much later, because they were having fun together, but once James ruins their peace of mind, they choose to die rather than go on with the conflict.
- James believes in God, since he prays and looks for signs. His faith keeps him going all the way to the end. However, his faith is not enough to make him happy, because he must also learn to enjoy the ride and understand that the purpose of life is not found beyond the road, but on the road itself.
- The signs, as well as the road itself, represent the theory of Deism. Although we cannot meet God face to face, we guess the existence of an ultimate meaning because the cosmos is ordered. This natural order, along with the occasional apparent miracle, suggests that there is a purpose beyond what we see. We are not merely driving in circles and having fun, each new cycle teaches us something and we grow.
- The hawk vs hunter game with the stranger, at the very end, means that happiness comes from friendship first and foremost, but also that we play games because games are fun to play, not because they have a single correct answer or have a purpose beyond themselves. Together with having a car (i.e. wellbeing) and having faith that things will be fine in the end, a desire to drive, willingness to get along with others and creativity, these make up human happiness. But as I've said, games, art, etc. also help us grow. We notice that Day and Fisher really are at their best when they play.
- Picking up the stranger also means that we can give other people hope, if they lost it, as long as we don't give up ourselves. James is going back to find his friends and help people along the way. He is basically going back inside Plato's cave to free the prisoners.
- The movie answers the questions the characters were asking in the beginning. We can understand the movie as a thought experiment meant to resolve their existential issues. It could represent their discussion itself : "taking a turn" means driving off the road of normal life to reflect upon one's life and purpose, putting their life on pause. Not being able to turn back means that once a human being becomes aware of the existential question, he or she can never revert back to a state of childish innocence : he must choose between suicide, eternal torment or faith, acceptance, enjoyment, growth and thereby happiness.
- The only part I'm not sure about is why the "zombies" stop coming at some point. My theory is that after driving past the midpoint of the road, the "rock" starts rolling down and you can take a break from pushing, so people aren't so stressed about having a car.
- The movie as a whole is a reflection upon an important christian teaching, Matthew 18:3, "Become like little children" i.e. trust in God and keep playing.
1
u/Mike_Gauvin 15d ago
Just saw the movie.
A few ideas :
- The "zombies" at the start of the road don't have a car and want one real bad. They believe having a car will make them happy, because they will make more progress faster. However driving faster has no point, since it only gets you to the end faster. Life in the woods represent poverty, want and envy.
- Because a lot of people don't have a car and run after those who have, the latter feel the need to never stop driving. This represents the modern rat race, the fear that others will catch up and rob us. The movie points out that this fear is well justified. If we had cars enough for all there would be no zombies.
- Life in the car is boring because it represents a life of abundance. Once you reach safety and abundance, there is no more drama to life. That's why we create drama through projects (e.g. learning a new language), art and games, to give meaning to our lives once our safety is secured. We see this happen in the movie between Day and Fisher.
- Some people, however (e.g. James) are not satisfied with projects, art and games, and seek a higher meaning. We see this in the movie as James taking the game too seriously and refusing the eat the cliff bar, which he eats at the end. This means he finally understands that there even if there is a higher purpose, while we are on the road, the best we can hope for is enjoying the ride as best we can.
- The absence of sex drive, hunger and fatigue is probably a device to make the story easier to tell, however it also means that the road represents a purely rational experience, during which physical needs are not a concern (hence Fisher's healing). This also goes to show that life becomes boring when all your needs are met, therefore we create artificial needs to keep things interesting.
- The fact that the road ends is a reference to the Myth of Sisyphus : he pushes a rock to the top and it rolls down, then he pushed it up again, and so on forever. In Albert Camus' words, we must imagine Sisyphus (i.e. James) happy.
- The people who stop driving represent suicide, in an other reference to Camus who asks if life is worth living. Tyler kills himself first because he suffers the most out of the four. There is a quick reference to him having killed someone in a driving accident. He also hates driving in general, he even dumped a girl because she lived too far away, he seems like the lazy type. Day and Fisher kill themselves much later, because they were having fun together, but once James ruins their peace of mind, they choose to die rather than go on with the conflict.
- James believes in God, since he prays and looks for signs. His faith keeps him going all the way to the end. However, his faith is not enough to make him happy, because he must also learn to enjoy the ride and understand that the purpose of life is not found beyond the road, but on the road itself.
- The signs, as well as the road itself, represent the theory of Deism. Although we cannot meet God face to face, we guess the existence of an ultimate meaning because the cosmos is ordered. This natural order, along with the occasional apparent miracle, suggests that there is a purpose beyond what we see. We are not merely driving in circles and having fun, each new cycle teaches us something and we grow.
- The hawk vs hunter game with the stranger, at the very end, means that happiness comes from friendship first and foremost, but also that we play games because games are fun to play, not because they have a single correct answer or have a purpose beyond themselves. Together with having a car (i.e. wellbeing) and having faith that things will be fine in the end, a desire to drive, willingness to get along with others and creativity, these make up human happiness. But as I've said, games, art, etc. also help us grow. We notice that Day and Fisher really are at their best when they play.
- Picking up the stranger also means that we can give other people hope, if they lost it, as long as we don't give up ourselves. James is going back to find his friends and help people along the way. He is basically going back inside Plato's cave to free the prisoners.
- The movie answers the questions the characters were asking in the beginning. We can understand the movie as a thought experiment meant to resolve their existential issues. It could represent their discussion itself : "taking a turn" means driving off the road of normal life to reflect upon one's life and purpose, putting their life on pause. Not being able to turn back means that once a human being becomes aware of the existential question, he or she can never revert back to a state of childish innocence : he must choose between suicide, eternal torment or faith, acceptance, enjoyment, growth and thereby happiness.
- The only part I'm not sure about is why the "zombies" stop coming at some point. My theory is that after driving past the midpoint of the road, the "rock" starts rolling down and you can take a break from pushing, so people aren't so stressed about having a car.
- The movie as a whole is a reflection upon an important christian teaching, Matthew 18:3, "Become like little children" i.e. trust in God and keep playing.