The movie Nebraska doesn’t hit like a ton of bricks. Almost everything about it, from the title sequence to Bruce Dern’s performance to the final scene, is subtle. And it wasn’t until the day after watching it, as I was explaining the movie to my family, that I really felt the total impact of the film.
The underlying premise of the movie is the strained relationship of a son (and his mom and older brother) with his elderly father who is battling ‘old age’ (whether it’s dementia or Alzheimer’s, we’re never quite clear) and a life-long drinking issue – which he doesn’t think is an issue. “Beer ain’t drinkin’.” As family members talk about the dad like he’s not there, I couldn’t help but think about my own dad, who is mentally and physically healthy but turned 71 the day I saw the movie, and my father-in-law who died from complications due to dementia in 2012.
Watching the family’s struggles made me think, “How would I handle this?” Would I think it a nuisance? Or would I take some sort of action, like the compliance of Will Forte’s character? It also made me wonder how much the father really was there, as he seems to get what he actually wants by the end of the film.
Two things from the movie were not subtle: the cinematography, and the one-liners from supporting actress, June Squibb… both nominated for Academy Awards. The black and white scenes showing the contrast between the beauty of the countryside and the starkness of the town play a big part in the film. And June’s straight-talking character of Kate Grant adds comic levity and color to a bleak situation. In the end, even the love she has for her husband is shown in a subtle gesture.
1 comment:
this movie disappointed me, as Payne’s movies rank amongst my favorite of the last decade. Election, About Schmidt, Sideways, The Descendants. it felt somehow thin, never truly digging in. It wasn’t until after the movie that i realized that this is one Payne did not write. and then it occurred to me what the problem was. Payne’s movies always set up extreme emotional or narrative situations, but successfully pass as real people, or at least extreme versions. and the comedic moments arise from these characters, organically. ironically, then, from his movie that on paper should have contained the most real people--from a simple setup in the heart of the Mid West--it often felt like a series of characters reciting one liners. The father son bonding was compelling, but the mom’s dirty mouth, nor the dullwits it the homestead ever convinced me. and the end was a bit of empty scripted cleverness
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