Nebraska is a gentle and slow-moving story about a broken-down father-son relationship. It’s a film about life, death, and the people in between.
While the content is often tinged with sadness, humour is carefully placed to keep the heart in this very touching film. The director, Alexander Payne, whose body of work includes The Descendants, Sideways and About Schmidt, tends to tell very human stories in a fashion that is subtle yet moving.
Having received a notice for a ‘Mega Sweepstakes’ prize of $1million dollars in the mail, senile Woody is convinced he must go and collect it. Without a driver’s license, this essentially means walking from his home in Montana to Nebraska—which he tries several times, unsuccessfully.
While his family is convinced that the prize is a marketing scam, Woody refuses to hear reason. Eventually, his youngest son, Dave, decides the only way his dad will see reason is by taking him to collect his prize—and to ultimately learn that it was a false lure.
Dave promises to take Woody to Nebraska, on the condition that they break up the trip by stopping in his dad’s hometown of Hawthorne along the way.
It is in Hawthorne where Woody’s troubled past is laid bare. From his demons with alcohol, to his various relationships—what began as a simple trip to claim a prize, quickly becomes a very vulnerable time for Woody. It is during this unexpectedly raw moment that Dave finally finds the opportunity to bond with his previously distant dad.
Forgiveness is at the film’s emotional core. The act through which Dave is finally able to connect with his dad, makes way for a few special moments together in a relationship that has otherwise been worn thin and threadbare.
Ultimately, Nebraska is yet another successful expedition by director Alexander Payne, carrying the audience along in a satisfyingly mapped out exploration of character (and, indeed, characters).
Directed by: Alexander Payne
Starring: Bruce Dern, Will Forte, June Squib, Bob Odenkirk
Rating: M
Runtime: 115mins
Release Date: Feb 20
Reviewer rating: 3.5/5
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