Review
The Descendants
Life has always been all about balance. When we focus too much on our professional life, we may lose touch of our personal life without knowing it. We may be too busy with our respective career to the point that we have already missed the important events in the life of the important people in our lives. We may be too engrossed with what is happening at work until reality would come knocking at our doors to tell us that we are doing it all wrong.
Overview
This is the story of most fathers all around the world. This is the story of Matt (George Clooney) in the 2011 American comedy-drama titled, The Descendants. The Descendants tells the story of an indifferent father who is forced to reconnect with his two daughters after his wife had a boating accident in Waikiki. He also faced his wife’s infidelity and the dilemma of selling 25,000 acres of virgin land to the Hawaiian royalty and missionaries.
Features
Matt is a lawyer and sole trustee of a family land in the island of Kaua’i. Since the trust is about to expire in seven years, Matt’s family decided to sell the land to Kaua’I native Don Holitzer for development. But just before Matt’s family is about to endorse the land and closed the deal, his wife, Elizabeth, had a boating accident that left her comatose. Matt is left with no other options but to act as both a father and mother to his two daughters. It was then when he learned that his 10-year-old Scottie (Amara Miller) has an inappropriate behavior at school and his 17-year-old Alex (Shailene Woodley) has a drinking problem.
While he was reconnecting with his daughters, a bad news shook Matt’s life. They were told that Elizabeth would never awaken from her coma. It was then when Alex told him that Elizabeth was having an affair with someone named Brian at the time of the accident. It was then when Matt decided that Brian has to know about the condition of Elizabeth. He found out that Brian is a real estate agent who is currently vacationing in Kaua’i. It was during this short trip that Matt found out that Brian is Dan Holitzer’s brother-in-law and he would gain lots of money from commissions when the land is developed and this lead to Matt having second thoughts about selling the land.
In the end, Matt finally decided to take Elizabeth off the life support after forgiving her betrayal. Matt, Alex, and Scottie decided to scatter Elizabeth’s ashes in the ocean of Waikiki. The film ends with a heartwarming scene where the three of them is curled up on the living room couch, using Elizabeth’s hospital blanket, eating ice cream, and watching the March of the Penguins.
Performance
Life is really too short to focus on one aspect of our lives and neglect the other. This is what we can learn from the tragic and yet inspiring story of Matt in the movie titled, The Descendants. Its plot and character development, as well as the portrayal of the actors in the movie, complemented each other making this movie a beautiful reflection of the responsibility that one has in a family. The storyline of The Descendants is something that almost everyone can relate to. It is the story of people trapped in real dilemmas that happens in real life.
Verdict
The Descendants is a very brilliant film that deserves a score of 5. It has a very common story and yet it is told and portrayed magnificently. The Descendants realistically captures the complexity of human emotions that comes with grief, hatred, and confusion. This beautifully-crafted movie is a must-see for everyone, especially for people who need a reminder on the real essence and value of life.
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