The two men must confront each other. Will vengeance trump mercy? The film’s final moments are its best, suggesting that “death” is a spiritual state that can afflict the living. The apostle Paul speaks of those “dead in trespasses and sins … following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind … by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind” (Ephesians 2:1-3). Reservation Road reinforces that truth, but it doesn’t tell of the Good News that Paul goes on to celebrate: “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2: 4-5).

The acting in Reservation Road is strong across the board, but the story has too many coincidences at crucial moments. The scenes of loss are wrenching, yet the story leaves viewers with little sense of hope for any of the characters. Although we want Dwight to confess, it is difficult to feel sympathy for Ethan, who turns to Internet chat boards for interaction after his son’s death, rather than to his wife.

While not without merit, Reservation Road has a few too many bumps. Steer clear for now, but this one may be worth catching on home video.

Questions? Comments? Contact me at crosswalkchristian@earthlink.net.

CAUTIONS:

• Language/Profanity:  Lord’s name taken in vain; several profanities.
• Sex/Nudity:  A married couple kisses in bed.
• Drinking/Smoking:  None.
• Violence:  A fatal hit-and-run is shown; the medical cause of a boy’s death is graphically explained; a man is pistol-whipped; a man threatens suicide.
• Religion:  At a funeral, a minister tells grieving parents that their deceased son is “an angel now”; a child wonders whether we can hear music in heaven, and her mother tells her we can.