Watch The Royal Road

The Royal Road is a thought-provoking and visually stunning film from 2015 that reflects on themes of love, memory, and history. The movie is directed, written, and narrated by Jenni Olson, who also appears on camera at times. Tony Kushner, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, provides additional narration. The movie is a meditative essay film that uses the images of the historical landscape of California, where the movie takes place, to explore a personal narrative of a heartbroken romantic obsession. It is also an ode to the art of storytelling and film itself, with references to classic Hollywood movies, such as Sunset Boulevard and Vertigo.

The Royal Road's narrative follows Olson's character as she wanders the streets of San Francisco, visiting historic sites and filming buildings and landscapes. The filming is complemented by Olson's poetic and reflective monologues that explore her experience of love, loss, and longing, as well as the history of the land she traverses.

Throughout the film, Olson reflects on a past romantic relationship, recalling her efforts to win over an aloof woman she met in San Francisco. As she moves through the city, Olson also contemplates the history of the Spanish colonization and Mexican-American War, which contributed to the formation of California as a state.

Olson's personal story is intertwined with the broader history of California, as she reflects on the erasure of Native American culture and the displacement of Mexican people from their land. She makes connections between the past and present, exploring how the inequality and injustice of the past have informed the present social issues such as housing, labor, and gender identity.

The Royal Road is a visually stunning film. Olson's camera captures the beauty and decaying grandeur of the architecture of California's buildings, bridges, and highways. The camera pans across empty streets and abandoned buildings, giving the impression that the city is frozen in time. The film's black and white cinematography lends a timeless quality to the images, reinforcing the movie's themes of memory and history.

The movie's soundtrack is also an essential element, using music and ambient sound to complement the visuals and narration. The music ranges from classical compositions, such as Brahms's Ballades, to contemporary indie rock, such as the music of The Handsome Family.

Overall, The Royal Road is a film that challenges viewers to contemplate the relationship between personal and political history, and how they interconnect. It is a film that resonates with anyone who has experienced heartbreak, longing, or nostalgia, as well as those interested in the history of California and its people. With its stunning visuals, poetic narration, and complex thematic layers, The Royal Road is an artful and thought-provoking film.

The Royal Road is a 2015 documentary with a runtime of 1 hour and 5 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.7 and a MetaScore of 65.