If a picture is worth a thousand words, how many is a motion picture worth (I can’t be the first person to ask that, can I?)? When it comes to Alexander Payne’s The Descendants, the answer is quite a few. And if I tried to put the film’s rich message on the nature of human connection into words, so much would be lost in translation (which is funny because it’s based on a novel). I don’t know how much of the insight is from the novel (I’ve never read it) and how much is originally Payne’s, but insights do abound.
Films that prompt so much thought and conversation are very rare, and are to be cherished. None of the performances, dialogue or production stand out because they all work together to support the story and its message, just as the elements of a great classic film should. And this is a great film. Each of its elements form a beautiful tapestry about human relationships. We are capable of doing tremendous harm and tremendous good to others, and The Descendants explores that with such grace.
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