Nebraska was released in 2013 and directed by renowned director Alexander Pace. The film cost a lot, and the outside world speculated that the film may have invested more than $13 million, which is still relatively rare in feature films.
So as far as this movie is concerned, why is it worth such a high investment?
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="4" > a million dollars to fake</h1>
The film tells the story of old father Woody Grant trying to walk to Lincoln, Nebraska, 1,400 kilometers away, mainly to claim the "million dollar prize money" he won.
It turned out that Grant had received an ad for a raffle. The ad said people who registered for the lottery would "probably" win a million dollars if they were selected for their personal number. And the old man interpreted this "maybe" as "already." We soon discovered that Grant liked to drink heavily and might be confused. Her wife, Kate, is fed up with her whimsical, wandering husband and sending him to a nursing home to be taken care of, and the family's life is chaotic.
The two sons, Rose and David, also initially despised their father as a selfish old man who ignored everyone else. But then, when his youngest son, David, realized that his father was determined to go to Lincoln to receive the award, he decided to drive him to Nebraska. During the break, the old father was slightly injured by a drunken collision, causing the father and son to have to evacuate the road for a period of rest.
It just so happened that Grant could go to the nearby home town where he grew up to see friends and loved ones. At the same time, the mother and eldest son also took the opportunity to come to the rendezvous. Since the old father likes to nag, the townspeople soon know that Grant has become a "millionaire", and many people also want to get a piece of the pie.
However, it was through the memories of these friends and family members that the two sons began to piece together a more complete father figure, although it seemed somewhat contradictory: Was Woody Grant a veteran who had returned from a wounded war, generous and helpful and in many troubles? Or is he just a selfish drunkard who has no regard for his family? His image began to grow fuller.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="10" > the godlike "ideal destruction" of "The Last Movie"</h1>
As a 2013 film, "Nebraska" is very interesting, all shot in black and white, which is easily reminiscent of the american small town scene represented in the classic American film "The Last Movie":
When all the young people turned to urban life, the dying town was sparsely populated.
Although director Payne's film is different from that work's era, the story is clearly set in the present day, not the 1960s, and the story is geographically set in Nebraska, not Texas, the overall disappointment and disillusionment expressed in the two films are very similar.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="14" > strange phenomenon of "farm life"</h1>
Father Grant stubbornly wants to go far away, perhaps he just wants to find some purpose or direction for his life, even if it is only for a short period. Or maybe he felt as if his life had been wasted, and now it was his last chance to win something for his two adult sons. The youngest son, David, decided to send his father, also because he broke up with his girlfriend not long ago, whether it was a personal life or a career, there was no success to speak of, anyway, there was nothing to take care of, so he accompanied his father on the road.
We noticed that the older men who stayed in the small towns were obsessed with various instruments, while the women were dominated at home.
David himself works as a salesman in an electronics store. He was ridiculed by his two cousins who lived in the town for spending so much time driving the car to them, thinking they were driving too slowly and not manly enough. As for the old father Grant, he was in his hometown to run a garage with someone, and the partner borrowed the air pump and did not pay it back.
This instrument became a symbol of manhood being stolen and recaptured. The men sat around, insensitive, barely uttering a word. People attribute this phenomenon to farm life that has been exposed to livestock for many years.
As a feature film, the whole story of "Nebraska" is winding and twisting, around the characters and dialogue, it is not difficult to find that there are not many stories to speak of. It's about relationships between people and how the smell of money affects their friendships. In this regard, rural people are no better than urban dwellers and other ideas.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="19" > sensational fragment</h1>
The film is still sensational, though, and the most touching scene in the film is when the elderly father Woody, his wife Kate, and their two sons go to see the house where their father lived as a child. Woody was like a tour guide, walking through different rooms and introducing who had lived there. But judging from the blank look on his face, we don't know how much of his mind is in the present and how much he has slipped back into the past.
This is a universal experience that anyone of a certain age can understand: you can go back to your hometown, but it is likely that it is no longer the home you left.
The only way to go back in time is through recollection. Bruce Dunn succeeded in portraying the old father.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="21" > happy ending</h1>
The film ends with a positive tone, allowing sweet emotions to triumph over those sneers.
The younger son's attitude toward his father has changed: from the initial boredom to curiosity, and finally out of sympathy for the old father, he tries to help the father win the respect he deserves. It turns out that a million dollars is not as important as some small thing can attract people's attention to an old father, and in any case, the ending is very satisfactory.
With a ridiculous award-receiving journey, connecting the past and family affection, the meaning of the film itself is magnified and upgraded.
Finally, if you compare Nebraska with other famous films made by its director, Alexander Payne, such as About Schmidt and Life with a Glass of Wine, you will find that the director's preference for road movie stories will be obvious.
The road movie shows a series of adventures around a journey that will change the protagonist himself, or at least change our view of him. Another outstanding example of a road movie is The Story of Mr. Street, directed by David Lynch, which interested friends can also check out.