Nebraska (Oscar list, 4/9)
The beauty is in the fight.
Am I surprised to see Nebraska nominated? Not really. I feel that the Academy did a good job picking an obscure film that few people have heard of. Nebraska was not a multi- million-dollar Hollywood blockbuster, and it didn’t try to be. Nebraska, for those who don’t know, is a story about Woody, an elderly man who “win’s” 1 Million dollars through a magazine subscription scam. He must now make his way from Montana to Nebraska (a 1,300km journey) to claim his “prize”. Clinging to his “winner” certificate, Woody faces opposition from his wife, children and the police, who all believe that his dementia has gotten the best of him.
Thoughts. Nebraska is a fictitious film with a story that resonates in the hearts and minds of many. If you have ever worked in the health care industry or have grandparents of age then many of the scenes from this film simply are too close to reality; the topic of dementia, the sad disregard for the elderly as people speak about them as if they aren’t in the room, and the lapses of thought as irrational decisions are made. The saving grace of the film is Woody’s son, David, who despite knowing that he did not actually win anything, indulges his father in a road trip to Nebraska.
Like family at the reading of a will…
This past year, the inaugural season of The Amazing Race Canada was won by Tim & Tim, a team from Winnipeg. Now, I don’t know Tim Jr. personally, but I do his wife (not well mind you, but I do know her through mutual friends). I have often thought about Tim and his wife and how their extraordinary good fortune may have altered their lives. Imagine how $250,000 could kickstart a marriage as we all struggle to pay down our student loans and contemplate future mortgage payments. But, in the same breath, imagine how $250,000 would change the way people interact with you. Would you make new friends? Would your coworkers treat you the same? Would you have the same self-image? What would define you as a person? These are the types of questions Woody faces on his journey. Just like family at the reading of a will, everyone is desperate for his “winnings”.
While Nebraska seems to be a light fair of a film, I have been surprised about how often I have been thinking and reflecting on this film. Perhaps Rene Rodriguez of the Miami Herald summarizes it best.
Payne remains a deeply humanist filmmaker: He loves people no matter their flaws, and he once again conveys that sympathy through a beautiful, haunting film that initially feels slight but grows large in your memory.
Working with anyone suffering with dementia can be a real burden, and often you feel as if you are fighting against them (your will against their own), but sometimes we need to sit back and learn to see that the beauty is in the fight. To see the narrative of someone who lived a full life, and in the case of Woody, is often misunderstood, and only wants to leave his children a legacy. Sometimes—just like finding your balance—the beauty is in the fight.
