Another Day in Paradise..?

The Descendants (Payne, 2012)

Set in the supposed paradise of Hawaii, The Descendants' aim from the beginning is to dispel the myth that beautiful surroundings and a comfortable life style equate to happiness. Like Payne's 2002 effort, About Schmidt, the film's plot addresses the crisis faced by a man when he finds himself loosing his wife. In the case of Clooney's Matt King, said wife is involved in an accident in the opening scenes and is in a coma, leaving him to address his failings as a husband and father, while she lies in a hospital bed.

King is a mostly sympathetic character, by no means perfect, but with admirably human failings, played to perfection by Clooney in one of his best performances. King has looks, money and success, the sole trustee of a family trust that controls thousands of acres of land, yet in spite of this, has spectacularly missed the bigger picture. As revelations about his wife are uncovered and harsh truths about his own role in the fractured family unit are revealed, he finds himself facing feelings of bemusement, ignorance, betrayal and ultimately a lack of control. As the leading figure in his extended family, King is a monarch of sorts who has been so preoccupied with the administration of his role, that he has neglected the subjects.

And while it may be easy to see this as a simple exercise in the male mid life crisis, The Descendants is also skilful in how it deals with the female characters. King's re-aquaintence with his daughters in light of tragedy is deftly handled; the youngest, Scottie, is perhaps brushed over a little in favour of the elder daughter Alexandra, but we have such a great performance from Shailene Woodley as Alex that you can forgive the lack of balance in this respect. Woodley plays the role of angry teen against cliche, her ability to comprehend the gravity of the family situation and the responsibilities expected of her if she is to assume the mother position to her younger sister, are matched with a mature insight that understands her father needs to address his own role if she is ever to progress with her own life. All this is achieved against a backdrop of grief and resentment, inspired by Patricia Hastie's wife and mother. Her presence if felt throughout the film, guiding her husband and her daughters as they embark on an odyssey to uncover her character and find the means to best say goodbye - a highly impressive feat for someone who neither moves or speaks.

Essentially a film about family and what we leave behind, both in a physical and emotional sense, it's thought provoking and ultimately questions the traditional roles of nurturer and provider. From my previous paragraphs you may be forgiven for thinking that it's a very po faced affair, but the film is infused with a fair amount of humour. Obvious comic relief comes from Nick Krause as Alex's boyfriend, but there are refreshing instances of wry pathos that inspire a similar reaction too. Of all Oscar contenders from this year, The Descendants was my personal favourite and I was disappointed that it didn't win more accolades, especially the Best Actor for Clooney, though it was well recognised for adapted screenplay from Kaui Hart Hemmings original text. A great film and a great entry to Payne's increasingly impressive filmography.

Out now on DVD and Blu Ray.

Rebecca Volley