"One for the Road" feels like an idealistic but uninspired refresher on alcoholism
One for the Road is a mid-level feel-good that translates well to the culture of our collective Aussie Alcoholism. That is to say, while the film takes few risks for just as many payoffs, One for the Road still moved me for the poignance of its message. Despite its naiveté, it raises good points, one being that our modern idea of fun is almost entirely substance-based. This has been done in the past, but there’s a compelling (albeit shallow) exploration of social resistance to sobriety. This happens once or twice in a comedic nudge and a wink, but these moments still leave their impact. Perhaps there was potential for something fresher in those moments. Instead, it opts to explore the issue as an individual’s struggle to escape himself, rather than assign a more communal blame.
Despite the focus on an individual’s perspective, the film’s depictions of substance are fairly materialistic. Only once or twice does the film incorporate the altered visuals of inebriated consciousness for interesting results. Perhaps this choice was made to avoid glorifying binge drinking, but the largely unchanging reliance on conventional cinematography leaves one wanting for some variation. The soundtrack, on the other hand, does deliver. Mostly every song or piece of score does its job, kicking in each time the protagonist relapses. The script is bland at times, but the actors do what they can. Protagonist Mark (Frederick Lau) is likeable, but Helena (Nora Tschirner) steals the show with her emotional volatility.
Ultimately, the film takes a swing at depicting the full breadth of a struggle against alcoholism but doesn’t dig deeper than the surface level. It’s a safe pick for a feel-good watch, but several other films deal with the same subject matter with greater success.
2.5 out of 5 stars
There are sure to be some worthwhile goodies at the upcoming German film festival, make sure to keep an eye out for it, running from the 16th of May to the 5th of June!
