Earlier today, I was able to see “The Descendants” in the theater. The movie was written by Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash, based on the novel “The Descendants” by Kaui Hart Hemmings; and was directed by “Alexander Payne”. It stars George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, and Judy Greer. The film won the Golden Globe for Best Picture- Drama, and has been nominated for 5 Academy Awards, including: Best Picture, Best Actor for George Clooney, Best Director, Best Editing, and Best Adapted Screenplay. I believe there is a good chance that it could win Best Picture at the Academy Awards, as it is a very deserving candidate.

Alexander Payne, who in the past directed the films “Sideways” and “About Schmidt” is known for making films which seem to be a meditation on life, and which deal with deep, yet very “human” events. “The Descendants” is much the same way. From the very beginning of the film, to the very last shot, we get a grasp of a story filled with emotion, grief, and, of course, redemption. It is a journey that is worth taking.

Matt King (George Clooney) is a man who lives in Hawaii with his wife, Elizabeth, and two kids; a 10-year-old girl named Scotti (Amara Miller), and , a 17-year-old girl named Alexandra (Shailene Woodley), who is currently attending her first year of college. As the film takes place in Hawaii, the first image that comes to mind is one of beaches and sunshine. But Matt right away destroys that notion, telling us in his opening narration: “My friends think that just because we live in Hawaii, we live in paradise. We’re all just out here sipping Mai Tai’s, shaking our hips and catching waves. Are they insane? Do they think we’re immune to life? How can they possibly think our families are less screwed up? Our heartaches, less painful?” The King family’s life is anything but picturesque. In fact, they have just come to a huge crisis. Elizabeth King has been in a boating accident and as a result of her injuries has been in a coma for the last three weeks. We soon find out that there is no chance of her ever waking up. As part of her will, she must be taken off of life support soon. Matt, who had always considered himself as the “back-up parent,” is now left in an uncomfortable predicament: he must take care of his two young and often dysfunctional daughters completely on his own. To top this off, Matt soon discovers that his wife had been having an affair, and that she was planning to divorce him before she got in her accident. In addition to these circumstances, Matt must also make a tough decision about whether to sell 25,000 acres of Hawaiian land that he had inherited from his ancestors to a man named Don Holitzer, who would subsequently build upon it. On one hand, he could serve to gain a huge profit for himself and his family; but on the flip-side, he would be giving away thousands of acres of native Hawaiian land, which would be destroyed and would no longer be a private get-away spot for him and his family.

Based upon all this, we can tell that Matt King is a man with a lot on his plate, and with little experience to solve his many issues. We feel even more connected to the character with George Clooney at the wheel, who greatly deserves his Best Actor nomination. His Matt King shows every aspect of the range of human emotions. When he first learns of his wife’s hopeless condition, we feel his pain; when he tries to deal with his daughter’s irrational behavior, we feel his impatience; and when we look closely at his face after he hears of his wife’s unfaithfulness, we feel his anger and sense of betrayal. A common quality of Payne’s films, seen in the past with “About Schmidt” and “Sideways,” is narration; which in this film is done by Clooney himself. We are put inside the head of a man whose whole world is crumbling apart in from of him. And although he tries to keep his cool, we can tell, through his introspective words, that he is as human as everyone around him. Another particularly strong performance was Shailene Woodley as Alex King, Matt’s often rebellious teenage daughter. She is at first seen as defiant and angry at her parents for their many flaws, and reacts to this by lashing out at them, swearing, and drinking alcohol. But we soon see that she is merely keeping her emotions inside. A particularly powerful scene shows her completely submerged in her pool, screaming with grief and anger after learning that her mother is not going to survive. After this, she quickly steps up as a strong motherly figure, helping to support her broken-down father while simultaneously caring for her little sister. The young Woodley shows this growth with sophisticated range, and with an acting ability beyond her years. She has real star potential, and I have a feeling we will see a lot from her in future films.

With a back-drop of traditional Hawaiian landscapes and scenery, in addition to calming Hawaiian music played in the background of nearly every scene, we almost forget at times just how dramatic and dark things are for the King family. The film often skips from a depressing scene one instant, to an incredible aerial view of the shore-line of Hawaii the next. The contrast between the mood and the circumstances surrounding the film’s events serves to emphasize something very significant about the film as a whole. It is a drama, yet there is also some light comedy to it. It has periods of love, and periods of hatred; scenes of beauty, and scenes of ugliness. Just like life itself, the film exists on both sides of the spectrum, and everywhere in-between. Payne shows us this through these few eventful days in the life of Matt King: from the difficult decision of selling his family’s land; to the realization and anger, but finally acceptance of his wife’s infidelities as he confronts her lover; to the sudden reality that he will soon be a single father who will have to care for two girls on his own. But by the final scene, we feel satisfied of Matt’s growth, and though uncertain about the future, we have every reason to believe it will work out for the best. It is an inspiring film, which makes us think that, no matter how “complicated and confusing” life might get, as one character puts it, there is always hope for the future, and we will move forward from despair as long as we have the love of friends and family to help us along the way.