The Roads Not Taken

The Roads Not Taken follows Leo, a man living alone in a New York studio apartment after his divorce, whose neurological condition has left him largely unresponsive to those around him. His daughter Molly sets her work aside to take him to a series of medical appointments across the city. To outsiders, Leo barely seems aware of where he is, but inside his mind other lives play out with clarity: a marriage to his childhood sweetheart Dolores, a difficult career as a drummer in Manhattan, and a solitary existence on a Greek island. Over roughly a single day, Molly tries to manage her father's care while the boundaries between his inner world and the present loosen.

Sally Potter directed and wrote the film, the seventh feature in the directing career that runs from Combines through Orlando, The Man Who Cried, Yes, Ginger & Rosa and The Party. Javier Bardem plays Leo, with Elle Fanning as Molly, Salma Hayek Pinault as Dolores and Laura Linney as Rita. Christopher Sheppard produced, and the production was backed by BBC Film and the BFI, among others.

Released in 2020 and running 85 minutes, the film drew modest audience scores: on IMDb it holds 5.2 out of 10 from about 3,200 votes, and on TMDB 5.5 out of 10 from fewer than a hundred. The critics' rating of 5.2 out of 10 from 50 reviews sits close to the audience figures, indicating a similarly divided response on both sides.