Listening to the soundtrack today immediately evokes that "new" road trip feeling—the horizon stretching out forever, the gas tank half full, and no idea where you’ll sleep.
When critics discuss the aesthetic, they praise cinematographer Eric Gautier. Unlike the grainy, handheld footage of the 1960s, this film uses digital grading to create a "dirty postcard." The colors pop unnaturally: the green of the Midwest is too green; the sky over Denver is a bruised purple.
Sal’s journey is as much internal as it is geographic, as he transitions from an observer to a participant in life. The Fragility of Freedom: