Chapter Two

Tracing the Anthropocene: A Comparative Approach to the Movies

The Road and The Midnight Sky

The Road is a 2009 American post-apocalyptic survival film directed by John

Hillcoat and written by Joe Penhall, based on the 2006 novel of the same name by

Cormac McCarthy. It stars Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee as a father and

his son in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. A mysterious cataclysmic event has killed off

almost all of the animals and crops on earth, and most of the structures of civilization

have collapsed. A man and his young son must make their way through the crumbling

cities to scavenge for food and supplies while avoiding cannibalistic gangs. The man

recalls how the cataclysm affected the world and its remaining population, and he

surmises that all the trees will fall soon.

He observes that most people on the roads are refugees carrying their carts and

armed gangs scavenging for food and fuel. He tells his son stories of courage and

justice to help him stay alive. As they searched for supplies on an abandoned farm,

the story follows a man and his son, who are discovered by a gang of armed men. The

man shoots the gang member in the head, carries away his unconscious son, and hides

deep into the woods until the following day. During a rest stop, the boy tells his father

that he wishes he was still with his mother. The wife points out that they only have

two bullets left and regrets not taking her own life when they had more ammunition.

The man pleads with his wife to stop thinking about giving up, but she doesn’t want

to keep living just to survive. She wants to take their son with her, something that

other families have done the same. The story follows a man and his son as they head
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south to find a more suitable place to live. They come across a large house on

the way and decide to check it out.

While investigating the kitchen, the man sees a Padlocked to door on the

kitchen floor and uses an axe to break the lock. They both go down to the cellar to

find the starving and mutilated people begging for help. When they start running

away, a man goes after them and they manage to get back upstairs and block the door

with a table. As soon as they try to leave the house, the occupants arrive and they hide

in the bathroom while the residents enter the house. The father urges his son to take

the gun, but the boy refuses.

When the occupants hear loud banging sounds, the father and son escape

through the window. As the boy sleeps, the man hears screams and tries to cover up

the boy’s ears. When he stops hearing any noise, he wakes the boy up and they

quickly leave. After eating the last bug, the boy asks assurance from his father that

they’d never eat a human being. The man points out that they are already starving and

they still wouldn’t eat anybody.

The boy and his father are on a journey to the coast. They stop at the house

where the man grew up and the boy sees another boy in a building across the street.

The boy runs after the other child, but the man stops him. The man consoles the boy,

noting that he once had friends of his own, but they are all gone. The man tries to

prepare his son to survive on his own, but he is slowly dying. The man and his son

find a piano in an empty house and decide to leave. However, they discover a hatch in

the backyard and find a bunker filled with food. They stay in the bunker and make it

their home, but are soon forced to leave due to strange noises. The man invites an
 8

older man for dinner and reveals his name is Ely. After dinner, Ely and the man talk

about the boy and Ely thinks he has seen an angel when he first laid Eyes on the child.

The protagonists witness a woman and a child being chased by a group of

cannibals. They run deep into the woods to escape, but a strong earthquake causes

some large trees to fall. The man’s health has been deteriorating, but they keep

moving towards the coast despite his condition. They arrive at a beach, but the shores

are filthy. The man swims to a shipwreck close to the beach, but a man with a knife

walk towards their tent. The boy wakes up to find all their belongings gone. The man

quickly chases after the thief, carrying and dragging the boy along with him. When

they catch up to the thief, the man threatens to shoot him. The thief refuses to give

back the cart, but changes his mind after hearing the boy begging his father not to kill

him. On their way back to the beach, the boy convinces his father to go back and help

the thief.

The story is about a man who dreams of being with his wife and tells his son

to continue going south on his own. When he sees a stranger approaching him, the

boy takes out the gun and points it towards the stranger. The stranger tells the boy that

he can either join him or stay on the beach with his father. The stranger also reveals

that he has two children with him, a boy and a girl, and assures the boy that he doesn’t

eat people. The boy then asks if he can go with the stranger, who is now joined by a

woman and two children. The woman tells the boy that they have been following him

and his father for a while, and the boy takes a look at the other children and notices a

dog with them. He is reassured that he is in good hands and agrees to join them.

The Midnight Sky is a 2020 science fiction film that explores the depths of

human emotion and the struggles of survival in the face of an apocalyptic event.
 9

George Clooney’s character, Augustine Lofthouse, is a scientist living in a remote

Arctic research facility and is the only person left after all other scientists have been

evacuated. Augustine lives alone at the facility, taking his medications, doing dialysis,

and using the facility to see if any of the exploratory space missions looking for

hospitable planets are still active.

The film flashes back to decades ago, when Augustine (Ethan Peck) presents

his research on what other planets might be habitable for human life. Jean (Sophie

Rundle) approaches him and asks him how much his research could be real.

Meanwhile, one of the astronauts on the Sully (Felicity Jones) is pregnant and has a

nightmare she’s been left on the planet they were exploring, K-23. Augustine finds a

young girl (Caoilinn Springall) hiding in the facility and attempts to contact someone

to come back to retrieve her, but cannot. He realizes her name is Iris and explains to

her that Aether is coming back and he needs to warn them about what has happened

on Earth. The antenna is not strong enough and Augustine fails to communicate,

telling Iris to always look at the star Polaris to find her way.

On the Aether mission, an alarm goes off and the team plots a course through

an unmapped and uncleared zone territory. Augustine and Iris camp out overnight in

the frozen tundra and the next day Augustine finds a downed aircraft with the pilot

dead inside. Jean has a daughter and Augustine wants to know if she knows about

him. Maya gives Sully an ultrasound and Sully tells Gordon they’re having a girl.

Augustine and Sully find another space to spend the night, a trailer, and Augustine

asks Iris to ask him a question. When he wakes and finds the trailer is filling with

water, he manages to rescue Iris, but the trailer and their vehicle sink into the ice,

taking the dialysis machine with them.

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They hide out in an ice cave and eat what little food they have remaining.

They get caught in an icy wind storm that is essentially blinding, and Augustine loses

Iris. He hears the sound of wolves and fires off a warning shot to scare them off. He

calls out for Iris but cannot find her and collapses into the ground. He sees a vision of

Jean appearing to him, but when he looks again it is Iris. He hugs her and they contin

Gordon quickly gets her inside the airlock and are forced to wait for it to

depressurize to help her while in the ship Sanchez races to get a med kit. When they

finally do, they take her helmet off, and hundreds of drops of blood float out. Sanchez

puts pressure on the wound while Sully tries to talk to her and keep her conscious, but

Maya does not survive. The crew is devastated. There is a machine that plays

memories of home for the crew, and Sanchez goes to it and plays Maya’s. As Mitchell

pilots the shit and it approaches Earth, the crew finally sees that much of the Earth is

smoking and destroyed. Sully returns to the communications and radios back to Earth,

where Augustine is dying without his dialysis machine. Most of the crew wants to go

back to K-23, but Mitchell, who has a wife and kids, wants to go home. Sanchez tells

Mitchell that his daughter died when he was four and that he wants to take Maya

home. Mitchell agrees and they leave for Earth, saying goodbye to Sully and Gordon.

Sully makes a final communication to Augustine to thank him for what he’s

done and how he’s one of the reasons she joined the space program, and that he

worked with her mother, Jean. Augustine realizes she is his daughter – Sully says her

named is Iris Sullivan – Sully for short. Flashbacks show that Iris is actually Jean and

Augustine’s daughter. He tells her how nice it is to finally meet her. He asks her what

K-23 is like, and she describes the planet to him. Augustine imagines being on the

planet with Young Iris. Sully speaks to Augustine but gets no response – perhaps he
 11

has finally succumbed to his illness – and she and Gordon realize its just the two of

them and begin plotting a course for K-23.

The Road is a haunting and thought-provoking film that explores the impact of

human activity on the natural world. Set in a post-apocalyptic world where a father

and son struggle to survive in a harsh and desolate landscape, the movie raises

important questions about human relationship with nature and the consequences of

their actions. In light of the concept of the Anthropocene, which refers to the current

era where human activity has a significant impact on the Earth’s ecosystems, The

Road presents a powerful metaphor for the devastation caused by human activities

such as industrialization, deforestation, and climate change.

In the light of the Anthropocene, the movie provides a cautionary tale of the

potential consequences of human actions on the environment. The Anthropocene is a

term used to describe the current geological epoch, characterized by significant

human impact on the planet’s ecosystems, including climate change, deforestation,

and pollution. The film presents a world where the consequences of environmental

degradation are fully realized, with the human population drastically reduced,

resources scarce, and the natural environment hostile and barren. This portrayal of the

post-apocalyptic world serves as a stark reminder of the potential consequences of

failing to address environmental issues in the present day.

The film's setting depicts a world that has been stripped of its biodiversity,

with no signs of life or vegetation. This is an allegory for the extinction of species and

destruction of ecosystems caused by human actions such as deforestation, pollution,

and climate change. The scarcity of resources in the film, including food and water, is

also symbolic of the resource depletion and scarcity that is a hallmark of the
 12

Anthropocene. Moreover, the film portrays the impact of environmental degradation

on human society. The collapse of civilization in The Road is not just a result of the

ecological disaster but also the societal breakdown that follows in its wake.

The movie also highlights the fragility of human society and their dependence

on the natural environment for survival. In the absence of the social structures and

technological advancements that define modern world, the movie’s characters are

forced to rely on their own ingenuity and resourcefulness to survive. This reliance on

nature highlights the importance of sustainability and conservation efforts to ensure

the long-term viability of Earth’s ecosystems. Furthermore, the movie’s themes of

hope and perseverance in the face of adversity reflect the resilience of the human

spirit and human capacity to overcome even the most daunting challenges. However,

the film also suggests that such resilience may not be enough in the face of

environmental catastrophe, underscoring the importance of proactive measures to

mitigate and adapt to the effects of the Anthropocene.

The film also emphasis how vulnerable human society is to environmental

disasters. The Road, depiction of society's demise as the result of a single catastrophic

event is meant to be a metaphor for the wider demise of civilization that might take

place as a result of environmental deterioration. The movie serves as a powerful

reminder of the significant effects that human behaviour has on the ecosystem and of

the possible repercussions of continuing along humans current road of environmental

degradation. It paints a clear picture of how vulnerable human civilization is in the

face of ecological disasters and issues a dire call for coordinated action to confront the

Anthropocene challenge.
 13

The movie also touches upon the issue of human responsibility in the

Anthropocene. The father and son’s journey are a reminder of the human impact on

the environment and the need for individuals and society as a whole to take

responsibility for their actions. The movie suggests that the choices they make as

individuals and societies have far-reaching consequences and that they must consider

the impact of their actions on future generations.

The film’s visual effects are also used to create moments of hope and

connection between the characters. For example, the use of warm, golden tones

during scenes of the father and son’s interaction creates a sense of intimacy and

tenderness, emphasizing the importance of human relationships in the face of

environmental crisis. The film uses empty, abandoned landscapes, and decaying

infrastructure to create a sense of loss and hopelessness. The visual effects highlight

the fragility of human society and emphasize the importance of sustainable

development and environmental protection in the Anthropocene.

The Road is a powerful movie that portrays the impact of human activities on

the planet and the potential consequences of their actions. The film’s themes of inter-

generational responsibility, loss, and uncertainty resonate with the challenges of the

Anthropocene. The movie’s message is clear: humanity must take responsibility for

its actions and make changes to ensure a sustainable future. The Anthropocene is a

time of great challenge, but also a time of great opportunity to work together to create

a better world.

The Midnight Sky is a post-apocalyptic science-fiction film that explores the

impact of human actions on the environment and the potential consequences of

climate change. The movie is set in the near future, where a catastrophic event has
 14

made Earth almost uninhabitable. The film depicts a world where the effects of

climate change have caused irreversible damage to the planet, forcing humanity to

search for new habitats. The Anthropocene is a time when the impact of human

activity on the Earth’s systems is driving ecological and social changes at an

unprecedented rate. This is evident in the movie’s depiction of a world where extreme

weather events, resource depletion, and ecological collapse have become the norm.

The Midnight Sky in light of the Anthropocene is the concept of inter-

generational responsibility. The film suggests that the current generation must take

responsibility for the damage caused to the planet and ensure that future generations

have a habitable world to live in. Augustine, as an older scientist, represents this

responsibility to ensure that his scientific research will be continued and utilized by

future generations. The movie also highlights the complex relationship between

humans and technology, which has played a significant role in shaping the

Anthropocene. However, the use of technology has also had unintended

consequences, such as the destruction of the environment and the exploitation of

natural resources.

The Anthropocene is a time of uncertainty and unpredictability, where the

future is uncertain due to the impacts of climate change and other environmental

challenges. The movie reflects this uncertainty in its portrayal of a world where the

future is uncertain and humanity must navigate unknown and dangerous terrain to

ensure their survival. This uncertainty is also reflected in the character of Augustine,

who is unsure of his place in the world and what he can do to make a difference.

The movie also explores the theme of loss and mourning, which is relevant to

the Anthropocene as humans are losing more than just their natural environment.
 15

They are also losing cultural heritage and diversity, as well as their connection to the

natural world. The astronauts on their mission to Jupiter’s moon represent the hope

for a new beginning, but they also symbolize the loss of the Earth as their home. The

movie’s message is clear: humanity must take responsibility for its actions and make

changes to ensure a sustainable future. The Anthropocene is a time of great challenge,

but also a time of great opportunity to work together to create a better world.

The Midnight Sky is the idea of global inter-connectivity. The movie portrays a

world that is interconnected and interdependent, where events in one part of the world

have far-reaching consequences on other parts. The film shows the devastating impact

of climate change and the breakdown of the natural environment on people across the

globe, highlighting the need for collective action and cooperation to address global

challenges.

The movie highlights the consequences of human actions on the planet and the

need for environmental stewardship. The harshness of the Arctic and space is shown,

but the movie also portrays the beauty of nature. The film is a reminder of the

importance of taking action to mitigate the effects of climate change and preserve the

planet for future generations. The movie's bleak white Arctic setting is rendered

almost as other-worldly as the distant planet the astronauts are traveling to. The film

is strongest in scenes where Clooney depends on striking visuals, rather than dialogue,

to propel the story. The movie's quest for human connection in the face of adversity is

a fitting place as one of the exemplars of science fiction films that draw wonder.

One of the most striking aspects of the film is its portrayal of a post-

apocalyptic Earth, where the planet has become uninhabitable due to human activity.

The film suggest that humanity has pushed the planet to the brink, to the point where
 16

it is no longer capable of sustaining life. This theme is particularly resonant in the

Anthropocene era, where scientists warn that humans are facing a global ecological

crisis as their planet faces rising sea levels, The Midnight Sky is a stark reminder of

the urgent need to address these issues. In the film, humanity's relentless pursuit of

progress has led to the destruction of the planet. This idea has parallels with the

concept of the Anthropocene, where human activity has transformed the earth's

landscapes and ecosystems in unprecedented ways. The film raises important

questions about the role of technology in shaping human relationship with the

environment and highlights the urgent need to find sustainable solutions to

global challenges.

The Road and The Midnight Sky in terms of the Anthropocene is a thought-

provoking subject that delves into the impact of human activity on the planet. The

Anthropocene refers to the geological era in which humans have had a significant

impact on the Earth’s ecosystems and geology. Both films explore this concept in

different ways, offering unique perspectives on the consequences of unchecked

human activity. These two movies share some similarities in their portrayal of a post-

apocalyptic world, where the impact of human activity has caused catastrophic events

that have left the world barren and desolate. However, they also have distinct

differences that make each film unique.

The two films are that they are both set in a post-apocalyptic world where

human activity has had a catastrophic impact on the environment. The landscape is

desolate, and there are few signs of life. In both films, human behaviour is a major

factor in the destruction of the environment. The Road depicts a world where humans

have depleted the earth’s resources and caused widespread devastation through war

and greed. The Midnight Sky, on the other hand, shows the consequences of human
 17

reliance on technology, which has led to catastrophic events that threaten the survival

of the human race.

In The Road, the cause of the catastrophic event is never explicitly mentioned,

but it is implied that it may have been caused by a nuclear war or other human-related

disaster. The father and son must scavenge for resources and avoid dangerous

individuals who have resorted to extreme measures to survive. The film highlights the

consequences of unchecked human activity and serves as a warning of the dangers of

nuclear war or environmental degradation.

Similarly, The Midnight Sky portrays a future where human activity has caused

irreparable damage to the environment. The film takes place in a time when humanity

has colonized other planets and is facing an existential threat due to the consequences

of human actions. The protagonist, a scientist named Augustine, is trying to warn a

team of astronauts who are returning from a mission to a habitable moon that Earth is

no longer safe to return to. The film highlights the consequences of human greed and

shortsightedness and emphasizes the importance of taking responsibility for their

actions.

Both movies address the issue of climate change and its devastating effects on

the planet. In The Road, the environment is barren and lifeless, with no plant life or

animals remaining, which suggests that climate change has caused a global ecological

collapse. In The Midnight Sky, Earth has become uninhabitable due to a catastrophic

event caused by human actions, likely related to climate change.

The characters in both films face difficulties in locating the essential resources

for their survival, like sustenance and liquids. The shortage is an outcome of the

excessive utilization and abuse of natural resources by humans in the Anthropocene

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era. The two movies portray a society where resources are limited and surviving is an

ongoing challenge. They both exhibit the downfall of society due to human activities

during the Anthropocene period.The movie The Midnight Sky portrays a situation

where humans are compelled to leave Earth because of a calamitous event triggered

by their own deeds, which suggests that society has attained an irreversible stage.

Both films place a strong emphasis on how people contributed to the events

that created the post-apocalyptic society they depict. The origin of the apocalypse is

not explicitly stated in The Road but it is inferred that human behaviour played a part.

In The Midnight Sky it is human exploitation of natural resources that triggers the

terrible event that compels humanity to depart Earth. The Road takes place in a world

that has already experienced a catastrophic event and portrays a bleak and despairing

world in which most humans have resorted to violent and desperate measures to

survive.

In contrast, The Midnight Sky takes place in the present or near-future and

explicitly identifies climate change and other forms of human activity as the cause of

the apocalypse. The movie offers some hope that humans can still take action to

prevent further damage to the environment and build a sustainable future. Overall,

The Road emphasizes the consequences of past human actions, while The Midnight

Sky highlights the urgency of addressing the current global environmental crisis and

the need for humans to take responsibility for their actions.

In the film The Road, nature is portrayed as a merciless force that can hardly

support human life. With the exception of human survivors, the landscape is lifeless

and arid. The nature in The Midnight Sky is depicted as a delicate and endangered

force that needs to be maintained. The film depicts the damaging effects of human
 19

activities on the ecosystem while simultaneously showcasing the majesty and

beauty of nature.

In The Road, the emphasis is on the consequences of past human actions and

the dire consequences of neglecting their responsibilities as stewards of the planet.

The movie portrays a world in which humans have exploited and degraded the

environment to the point of collapse. In contrast, The Midnight Sky highlights the

urgent need for humans to take responsibility for their actions and work towards a

sustainable future. The movie shows that humans have the power to mitigate the

damage done to the environment and build a better future for themselves and for the

planet.

The Road ends on a depressing and uncertain note, offering little hope for the

future of humanity or the environment. The Midnight Sky, on the other hand, ends on

a note of optimism and regeneration and offers some hope for the future. The film

demonstrates that people can still take action to protect the environment and create a

sustainable future for both now and future generations, even in the face of severe

environmental destruction.

The Road and The Midnight Sky are two movies that explore the theme of the

Anthropocene in different ways. While both movies highlight the urgent need for

humans to take responsibility for their actions and work towards a sustainable future,

they differ in their portrayal of the environment, the time period in which they take

place, and their emphasis on past versus current human actions. The Road portrays a

world in which the damage has already been done and there is little hope for the

future, while The Midnight Sky offers some hope for the future and emphasizes the

urgency of taking action to address the current environmental crisis.

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The Road and The Midnight Sky, human behaviours are a central theme that is

closely tied to the Anthropocene. In The Road, human behaviour is portrayed as the

cause of the apocalypse that has devastated the world. The movie suggests that

humans have exploited and degraded the environment to the point of collapse and

have resorted to violence and other desperate measures to survive. In contrast, The

Midnight Sky portrays human behaviour as a potential solution to the environmental

crisis. The movie shows that humans have the power to mitigate the damage done to

the environment and build a sustainable future, but they must take responsibility for

their actions and work together to achieve this goal.

Survival is a major theme in both The Road and The Midnight Sky, as the

characters in both movies are struggling to survive in a world that has been devastated

by human activity. In The Road, survival is portrayed as a brutal and desperate

struggle, with most humans resorting to violence and cannibalism to stay alive. The

movie suggests that the harsh conditions of the post-apocalyptic world have turned

humans into savages, willing to do whatever it takes to survive. In contrast, The

Midnight Sky portrays survival as a more hopeful and optimistic endeavour.

In The Road, technology is portrayed as a cause of the apocalypse, as humans

have exploited and degraded the environment through their use of technology. The

movie suggests that humans have become too reliant on technology and have

neglected the natural world, leading to its collapse. When compared, The Midnight

Sky portrays technology as a potential solution to the environmental crisis. The movie

shows that humans can use technology to mitigate the damage done to the

environment and build a sustainable future, but they must use it wisely and

responsibly.