As the year enters its final quarter (is its just me, or did this particular one fly by extra quick?), the film companies are starting to bring out their heavy hitters. With the summer blockbusters winding down, it’s time to make way for the movies that will appeal to the older crowd; the kind that don’t need an action figure set or a bunch of tie-in merchandise. You know, the kind of movies that may not make a whole lot of money, but they will make it to several Top Ten lists, and maybe even win an award or two.
It’s this time of the year that’s particularly tantalising for cinephiles like myself, as films we’ve only heard casting or release information of — perhaps an on-set pic or two — finally start to get trailers. We may not see the full movies for months — sometimes as long as a year as they make their way through limited release engagements to eventual DVD and Blu-Ray release — and these first looks are sometimes all we have to go on.
And here is the paradox: I don’t like movie trailers. In theory, I’m fine with them, but over the years I’ve come to expect that most trailers beyond the initial teaser give away too much of the movie. When films are made with ‘trailer moments’ in mind, why should I even bother showing up at the cinema when all the good bits have been compressed into two minutes and change? So I generally avoid them. But sometimes a movie has intrigued me enough that I give the trailer a look. And sometimes — this time, for instance — I’m very happy I did. It’s rare that the trailer of a movie gets me so excited that it warrants a post of its own, but Dev Benegal’s Road, Movie does exactly that.
It’s not the kind of movie trailer that tells you much about the film other than the initial plot set up and a selection of scenes, but my god, is that ever enough. The film has already opened to rave reviews at the Toronto Film Festival, and unfortunately there’s little word on when and if I’ll get to see it in my neck of the woods.
But it doesn’t matter, because at least until then I’ll have this teaser to look at. It’s not nearly enough, but for now, it’ll do.