NEBRASKA (2013)

While every movie presents an opportunity to embark on a journey through a dreamscape crafted by its director, road movies, as a genre,  are all the more alluring as they bring in another metaphysical dimension to these journeys.

In Nebraska, Bruce Dern plays Woody, a senile alcoholic in Billings, Montana who, after receiving a scam mailer promising him of a lottery winning of a million dollars, decides to walk 750 odd miles to Lincoln, Nebraska to collect his prize personally. He has to trek the entire distance since his alcoholism has ruled out any driving. When his journey is aborted twice in its early stages to his utter disappointment, his son, David (Will Forte) agrees, albeit reluctantly, to drive an obsessed Woody to Lincoln. This is much to the chagrin of his mother Kate (June Squibb) who chides David for being too indulgent on Woody's foolish delusions. David, on the other hand,  sees this as a break from his drab job as a stereo salesman and also, an opportunity spend some quality time with his reticent father.

Their journey to Lincoln with a stop-over at Woody's hometown of Hawthorne make the rest of this movie. David's road journey with his father also becomes one of discovery where he learns about hitherto unknown dimensions to his father and his early life. And, remaining true to the tradition of the genre of road movies, their journey itself proves more rewarding than the destination.

Bruce Dern provides a towing performance he sinks himself completely into the complex character of Woody, an alcoholic senile man who is consumed by his obsession. Woody is a character, that is hard to like and perhaps, equally hard to hate, which requires the performer to strike a fine nuanced balance. Dern absolutely nails it in a career-defining performance which has already fetched him a well-deserved award for Best Actor at the Cannes last year. Of the supporting cast, June Squibb is excellent as the fierce and forthright Kate providing a perfect foil to a taciturn Woody. Will Forte plays David with right doses of subtlety and nuance as a son who wants to connect with his father even as he is harried by his father's several streaks of unpredictability.

Captured in immaculate black and white, director Alexander Payne's Nebraska is a poetic, poignant movie of discovery laced with humour. Payne presents a deeply humanist drama populated by complicated characters with vignettes of the melancholic life in the American Midwest.

A MUST WATCH !!