Directed by Alexander Payne, new movie The Descendants starring George Clooney tells the story of a father, husband and lawyer, Matt King (Clooney), who is forced to deal with the various consequences that arise due to his wife's unfortunate boating accident off Waikiki, where she now lies in hospital in a coma she is not expected to recover from.
From breaking the news to his two daughters, Alexandra (Shaileene Woodley), and Scottie (Amara Miller) to the discovery of his wife's affair before the accident and the search for her lover, this story is about how Matt has to step up to the mark as a family man and reliable father whilst learning to deal with all the emotions that have suddenly crashed into his life.
We learn early on that Matt is Hawaiian Royalty, owning a vast amount of land of which he inherited along with other members of the family in a trust, which they now intend to sell. This is also a common theme of the movie and also plays a large part in Matt's life at this time, as he alone is to make to final decision on who they should sell the area of land to. This is all added pressure onto Matt's life, along with the trouble-making of his two daughters (Scottie's "unusual" homework and bullying her peers, and Alexandra's rebellious teenage behaviour). We get the immediate feel that Matt's life is as complex as it can get, however, we also can tell that Matt is a strong character, and one we are probably going to like.
Clooney completely surprised me in this role. He stepped out of his comfort-zone and into an unlikely role which he plays fantastically. The fact, that he plays the role so low-key, really emphasises how normal this man's life is in terms of tragedy and stress (though we probably do not relate to his financial situation).
Woodley also deserves to be recognised for her outstanding portrayal of Alexandra, who puts her rebellious teenage mannerisms and attitude aside in order to help and support her father (along with her boyfriend Sid played by Nick Krause).
This story sounds simple and uneventful, but in reality it is fantastically portrayed tale of family, loyalty, friendship, trust and most importantly, acceptance. It doesn't need action, a huge twist or a fancy show to hide behind, just its story alone and the amazing actors that make it so touching and believable.
I went into this film expecting something mediocre, and came out feeling that I had definitely seen something that deserves to be recognised.
If I could, I would have told you more about the plot, but really, I just want you to go and see it for yourselves, without me giving away most of the story.
Until we blog again,
x
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