Revolutionary Road: Is April Wheeler a Hero?

This film is a reverent tragedy of an incomplete artist.

The last few shots we see of April are interesting. We see her feet come down the stairs gracefully. She approaches the bright and hopeful window. The exterior shot makes things optimistic and glorifies her. A few shots later the camera zooms out revealing blood on the back of her dress, and continues to zoom out until she is alone in a big room. She runs off camera and in the most significant line of the movie says, "I think I need help..."

I'm not entirely sure what to make of that line. My uncertainty has manifested itself into sleepless nights (exaggeration). All I can claim is that I feel there were three levels to it. (1) She needs help from a literal ambulance perspective, (2) She needs help clinically from a depression perspective, (3) She needs help with life in general because she is stuck in the suburbs.

All, one, or none of those are correct.

And as always there are two ways to talk about art. What is it saying? And what do you think about what it's saying? 

From what I've interpreted from the climax, and the resolution of the other characters - I feel like Sam Mendes is reverent towards April, but he does not glorify her as a martyr. (If this is true) I agree that he did the right thing. I believe that from a plot stand point it was good that April gave herself the abortion.

But that brings up two questions. (1) Did she know she was going to die from the abortion (indirect suicide)? (2) Was she justified/a hero?

I feel like she did know she was going to die. It is tough to talk about the second question I pose because not everyone will agree with me that her act was indirect suicide. But for the sake of argument we should say it was. So, if April committed suicide, was it justified? Does the film glorify or condone her actions? I don't believe it does. But should it?

I feel like I would have directed the film exactly how it is because through my interpretation she is not glorified.

Remember John, "Matter of fact, the way you look right now, I'm beginning to feel sorry for him, too. I mean, you must give him a pretty bad time, if making babies is the only way he can prove he's got a pair of balls."

I'm not sure if I understand this film or if I don't.

I feel like it doesn't take sides, it is reverent. I feel like this film is a solemn and purposefully understated ode to those who yearn to not just live life, but to feel it. That's not to say that April was a hero, because I don't believe she was. I feel that she was as guilty of immaturity as Frank was.

They were young and idealistic, but they understood that they wanted something. They weren't sure exactly what, but they wanted it. The only way they could verbalize it was by calling it "Paris".

This film isn't a glorification of April, but a criticism of the society she is in. It doesn't say that her (perhaps intentional) death was justified, but that it was logical - two very different things.

So either everyone in the world who sees this movie all understand it, or we are all meant to just ponder and never come to any conclusions. I like the latter. I like thinking that may be the message of this film is not as concrete as I want it to be. I like thinking that may be the message of this film doesn't really exist, and that the film itself was the message. The experience and the reflection itself is the message. May be.