Nebraska
What will you be when you are older? Will your niceness develop into a series of friends or will your quirks start to weigh them down? Will you be a good terrific person or succumb to your faults? Will there be a large family, small family or maybe no family at all? Or, maybe like the rest of us, you’ll just be a person. If anything, when I grow older, I’d want to at least have small collection of family and friends, a modest livelihood and be content. Failing that, I’d give my right arm to be Juno Squib in Alexander Payne’s Nebraska.
One of last year’s most nominated Oscar contender sees The Descendant’s director and Oscar winning writer Payne back in full form. It helps that here, the poignant and simplistic movie gets a stirring lead in the form of Bruce Dern. Nebraska centres on Woody, a pleasant but alcoholic man going through the confusing years of his life. However, when he receives a letter in the post, claiming that he has won $1 million. But his son David discovers it is a mail scam. Yet that doesn’t stop Woody and his distrust of the post makes him embark to the titular place to claim his reward, stopping off at his old haunts along the way.
The pivotal heart of Alexander’s epic drama is Dern’s heart-warming performance that delicate weaves Woody’s determination to get the riches whilst empathically and endearingly enriching the character with this misunderstanding. The befuddled brain mixed with the tenderness of his soul, plus the tentative drinking gives this three dimensional character a complete and utter complexity that is still visceral and rambunctious. Dern’s Woody is utterly fascinating and wholly real, making the Oscar nomination worthy. Alongside him is Squib as the fiery mouth of his wife Kate, the moody local hero son Ross (Bob Odenkirk) and the neutral and caring son David played by Will Forte. The combination of the family spirits, both extra loud and reserved make this an undeniably realistic quartet.
Payne’s work here really powers the simplistic nature of the family home. The chemistry between not just these three but the outlier family and friends that Woody goes back to visit spark of this understated yet brilliant drama. Travelling wryly through the effect of new fortune on those who want every bit of it, leaves room for slow paced (effectively slow paced) movie to power forward. Tantalisingly twisting through history, present and the level of care Woody has for everyone makes it an intimate and personal affair making it full of spirit.
Nebraska has genuine soul that flows through it on Woody’s journey. The tension amounts with those who want to use him and that clarity that Woody is a bemused but genuine spirit flawed by his need to give to people and drink constantly. The film has this kinetic energy solely placed in the humanity that give this tinge of normality and personality. It’s caring watch, handle deftly in the hands of Payne.