The Descendants

Palm trees, white beaches, and lots of sun. Honolulu seems like the perfect vacation. But is it really in reality the perfect place to live in? The Descendants wants to bring this subject up, with a view on a family living in this paradise. George Clooney won for best actor at the Golden Globe Awards, while critics praised this motion picture for beeing one of the best movies of 2011. Will George Clooney deliver high quality once again, or should he have stayed underneath the palm trees?

Matt King ( George Clooney ) is a hard working lawyer in Honolulu. His wife Elisabeth King ( Patricia Hastie ) is in a coma, doctors say she may not wake up again, and Matt is forced to take care of his 2 daughters Scottie ( Amara Miller ), and Alex ( Shailene Woodley ). Problem is, he is not that close to his daughters, and now he has to do the best he can over this situation. He finally confronts his daughters that their mother will die. Both daughters take the news very heavily. Matt decide to take his daughters with him to another island Kaua´i in Hawaii, where he is supposed to close a deal of selling 25.000 acres of pristine land. Along on this journey, he starts to find back to his daughters, and finds out it´s not too late to be a family.

Emotional drama movies are not my typical choice, but with The Descendants i have to change my mind. This is a very heavy story, about losing your steady ground, and have to face a cruel reality. How do you go on with your life with your kids, when you don´t know them that well, when their mother is dying? George Clooney opens his soul into his character, trying to find a way to go on with his life. And it feels real, you can tell Clooney wants to make this as realistic as possible, and not make it the typical Hollywood way. Shailene Woodley is one amazing actress for her young age, what a performance she gives. To see her fall apart from her mother´s illness, is very sensitive. Director Alexander Payne builds alot of tentions and emotions around this family, that makes this story more interesting. One message that is very clear is, no matter where you live in this world, and even if it may look like a paradise, tragedy is not anything you can escape from. We all go through sadness and pain, in different situations. The Descendants is a very strong motion picture, with a very clear message. Make sure you see this one, and i promise you will soon start to think about what life is all about.

Rating: DDDD