A Brilliant Conflict

One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Blistering performances.

This is a great film about a man who tries to reconnect with his daughters and sort things out after his wife is critically injured in a boating accident. Alexander Payne has surely become a voice to be reckoned with, and each new film of his brings about a new layer of complexity to his work. George Clooney manages to show us that he indeed a good actor when in his element and both Shailene Woodley and Amara Miller are exceptional as his daughters. The setting is gorgeous Hawaii and although this isn't a "visual" film per se there is a symphony of sorts between the emotions of the main characters and the seas and plains of Hawaii. This is one unmissable film.

The Descendants does a great job of dealing with a variety of complex emotions. It manages to maintain a lighthearted feel, despite the dark and depressing subject matter. Each one of the performances feels genuine and heartfelt, and I felt myself getting caught up in it all. This definitely deserved the Academy Award nomination.

In the film's opening dialogue Matt's off-scene voice over explains that while most observers would think that he is living the charmed life in paradise. But as he states nothing could be further from the truth. In fact it is this dissonance between illusion and reality that is the real thematic pivot for the film. Matt and his wife Elizabeth have been experiencing marital difficulties for some time. Elizabeth has been involved in a speedboat accident which has left her in a vegetative coma. This situation is further compounded by her doctor's admission that they have done all for her and there is no hope for a recovery. Elizabeth's completion of an advanced health directive to be enforced in such a situation forces Matt to address the approaching decision to turn off her life support. As if this wasn't enough, Mark is facing a major decision regarding his other role as the sole trustee for a vast stretch of natural land on Kauai. His enormous number of cousins and relations are hungry for him to sign off on a land sale offer for future development as a mega condominium and they all want their share of the monitory rewards a deal would bring each one of them. Mark's eldest daughter Alexandra has been sent to the big island in the hope of curbing her excessive destructive behaviour. But as we discover, there was a compelling reason for her teenage angst. She tells her father that his wife was carrying on an affair with a local real estate agent Bob Speer. Matt is completely blindsided with this dramatic revelation. Even his close mutual friends seem to have actively supported his wife's extramarital activities. They also inform him that his wife was seriously contemplating divorcing Matt. Again Mark sees the dissonance between his assumptions and the underlying realities of his life and the relationships with family. His grief and rage at the duplicity of his wife, her lover and the mutual friends that openly supported her infidelity is heartfelt and realistically portrayed. He is surely a man caught between several rocks and hard places. This is truly an affirmation that "Shit Happens!" There are several themes that are hinted at during Matt's attempt to understand and respond to his wife's betrayal. It is revealed that Elizabeth's lover, Bob Speer would be one of the major beneficiaries if the land sale went ahead, and suggests that there might have been strong motives for the realtor to get inside information on the land deal through his tapping Matt's wife. To Elizabeth's bereft parents, she was their princess who could do no wrong, and that her medical situation was somehow exacerbated by Matt's treatment of her. Interestingly, while armed with clearly supported ammunition of her infidelity, Matt decides not to inform her parents of the truth. Thus out of kindness, Matt allows her parents to cling to their illusions concerning their daughter. The performances of the major players are very strong. As a follower of George Clooney's movie career for some time I was blown away be the sheer spectrum of emotional states he was able to bring to his character Matt. I would even go out on a limb and suggest that this was truly one of his best performances to date. The actresses playing his two daughters were also excellent. Initially expecting his eldest daughter to be a complete out of control brat, we discover that her actions have been motivated by her mother's destructive actions and her need to prevent hurting her father and exploding the family. Scottie, Matt's youngest daughter's gradual acceptance of her mother's encroaching demise through the help of a counsellor was particularly well-handled. Bob Speer was found to be the shallow opportunist one expected him to be, more interested in saving his marriage than owning up to his weaknesses. Matt's money- focused cousin played by Jeff Bridges was a perfect counterweight to Matt's increasing misgivings about signing the deal. I think a neglected player in this drama was the character of Sid, the friend of Matt's eldest daughter. Again this is yet another example of illusion verses reality. We along with Matt are quick to judge a book by its cover – that Sid is a somewhat simple, narly dude with little of any insight or substance. But as the two men interact, we along with Matt discover that our initial prejudices concerning Sid were perhaps ill-founded, and that he is a much more complex personality with his own experiences with the crap that real life throws at people. Yes, the film does explore the theme of family dysfunction as well as re-connection between father and daughters. But for me it is far more complex exploration of deeper underlying themes that plague individuals such as their relationships, the challenges confronting them through discovery of deception and concealment. It is about balancing the ties of family generations with the legacy of the past. It is also a film about experiencing grief in losing people you love and the need to accept letting them go. I openly admit to a pair of damp eyes especially during the poignant hospital scenes. It is a situation that I was faced with several years ago with my own wife. Good films are like any other form of art. Some films predominantly focus on eliciting feelings in the viewer. Other films may attempt to initiate thinking. Yet other films are able to attain the ability to force viewers to feel, think and question ourselves and our own values and moral positions. In a deceptively understated manner with an excellent transposing of Kaui Hart Hemmings' original written novel to the big screen, The Descendants would have to be one movie that has achieved ticking all the crucial boxes for me anyway. As it stands it is what it is; a gem.

I have seen this movie two times. And enjoyed it twice. My rating of nine came after the second view. It leaves me with a wonderful feeling during watching it and especially afterwards. The end of the film is both satisfying and not so special that it might be unexpected... I am not quite sure if that makes sense, but do not want to be a spoiler! The acting of all characters is beyond average and George and Shailene deserve at least recognition for supporting this brilliant story. Rarely I feel the same satisfaction after seeing a film as when reading a book, but this one did just that. I am still feeling as if I had a bourbon after a great party. No hangover tomorrow, though! The same category as for instance 'The Shawshank Redemption", if you ask me.