Film: Nebraska

I am delighted that Nebraska is previewing this week, was showing today at the British Film Institute, and was at the top of my list for films showing today. The trailer looks fantastic, and I was really looking forward to it. When I checked, I saw that it was already half booked out, so I decided, for safety, I'd better book a ticket, although it was showing in NFT1, the largest screen. They have a bit of a cheek though - first they suggest you give a donation of 10% of the ticket price, then they suggest you give another donation (suggested amount, £2)! Since they were also charging a booking fee, I decided to skip donating at all.

So I took myself into town straight after work, on a more packed District Line than I've travelled on in a while, panted my way up the steps onto the bridge, and marvelled at the South Bank, trussed up like a Christmas tree, with the lights of the skyscrapers, the National Theatre, and the Southbank Christmas market. Didn't take any photos - I have quite enough photos of that view, as you can see from previous posts. Had to walk through the market to get to the BFI, and decided I'd get something to eat there on my way out.

Ahh - I always forget how plush the seats are in the BFI! I was a bit to the side - if I had wanted a central seat, I'd have had to go to the very front or back. But the view is fine. They don't show ads as such here - just trailers for films showing in the BFI. Today, we just had one trailer - for The Innocents, with Deborah Kerr. The film is fine - but the trailer..! Well, they were different times. It dragged on and on, repeating the same phrase over and over ("Do THEY return to possess the living?"), and I'm afraid the audience found it quite amusing - which isn't, of course, the intended reaction!

And so to the main film, which started as understatedly as it meant to go on. Its basic story is of a doddery old man who gets one of these promotional "You are a Winner!" marketing promotions and believes he's won a million dollars. He wouldn't trust a million dollars to the postal system, so he decides to go to Nebraska himself to pick it up. Unfortunately, he lost his driving licence a while ago, and his wife refuses to take him. So when we first see him, he's walking to Nebraska. From Billings, Montana. A distance of nearly 900 miles.

As his son asks him, why didn't he just get the bus? Well, he doesn't answer that question. He's kind of out of it a lot of the time, and obviously a bit deaf. Eventually, seeing how miserable he is, his son agrees to drive him there. (Interestingly, I note that the route he takes is not the shortest, nor that suggested by Google Maps. But I defer to his local knowledge.) What follows is some of the most hilarious cinema I've seen in a long while, with the son acting the perfect deadpan while surreal things occur all around him. I mean, it's bad enough with dad being forgetful and confused, but just wait till he starts telling people he's won a million dollars..

One main thing I loved about this film was that it had old people in it. Lots of them. (The son decides at some point to take a small detour so dad can visit his relatives.) And these old people are - old! They stumble and fall, they forget things, they get confused, they speak slowly, they have to be helped to get around. These are not old people who go into space (Cocoon), or on a stag do, pretending to be youngsters (Last Vegas), or are international espionage agents (Red). No, you might just recognise these old people. An afternoon's entertainment when the family gets together consists of all the men sitting around the tv, comatose in front of a game. And the genius of this film is that it makes for the best comedy I've seen in ages.

The lead actor is Bruce Dern (yes, Laura Dern's father). He won best actor at the Cannes Film Festival for this, I'm delighted to say. Stacey Keach also makes an appearance, as on old "friend" who comes a-knocking and claiming a share of the winnings. There are twists and turns, ups and downs, and they make for a road movie with a difference. Very highly recommended, especially to anyone who's ever had to care for an old person. Kudos to the director, Alexander Payne, who as well as producing and directing this, also produced, directed, and wrote The Descendants and Sideways, among others. He obviously knows his subject.

And coming back through the market, I didn't buy anything else, but had a delicious crepe, which was piping hot - very welcome against the cold breeze. And some more chocolate-covered marshmallows.

Tomorrow seems set to be another film. Well, a double-bill, to be precise. Riverside Studios is hosting a Nordic film festival, and as part of this they're showing a double-bill tomorrow: two shorts - The Devil's Ballroom and North of the Sun, both of which are documentaries about people doing things in very, very cold places. Which, doubtless, will make me shiver a little less as I come out, having given me some perspective..