Revelation! and Highway to Hell: American Road Narrative and Apocalypse

Abstract

A creative/critical thesis.

The feature-length screenplay, titled "Revelation!", follows two estranged sisters who are brought together to serve as witnesses for the biblical apocalypse. Fleeing across America from doomsday omens and a mysterious cult, they must decide whether to serve their assigned purpose in the end of the world, or to fight back however they can before it's too late.

The following critical essay explores the history of the American road narrative and its importance to contemporary radical ideology through examinations of Kerouac's "On the Road," Ridley Scott's "Thelma and Louise," and George Miller's "Mad Max: Fury Road." I then go on to discuss the relevance of "Revelation!" to the legacy of the road narrative and how it uses the genre to explore the plight of American youth coming of age in an era of climate anxiety and political division. I draw parallels between the Roman Empire that plagued the author of the the apocalyptic Book of Revelation and modern day America, including the ongoing climate crisis and the inseparability of church and state. I contextualize the film and compare it to other apocalyptic narratives such as Adam McKay's "Don't Look Up" in order to establish its place in the modern canon, and highlight the importance of hope in any kind of tale, cautionary or not.