Two films have dominated the award nominations from late 2011 and ending with the Oscars this week. One is The Artist; the other is Alexander Payne’s The Descendants. Last week’s Bafta’s saw The Artist clean up in almost all categories it was nominated for. The question is should The Artist, a paint-by-numbers story without dialogue, be rewarded for its uniqueness over Payne’s tragicomedy? The answer is probably not. This is not to say that The Descendants is vastly superior to The Artist or any other nominated film (Moneyball (2011) and Tinker Tailor Solider Spy (2011) are the most deserving of those regularly nominated), but it is still superior.
The Descendants, representing a massively different view of Hawaii than most people will be used to, it is very well crafted story, fantastically acted and able to hold its audience’s emotions in the palm of its hand. The story refuses to be predictable and refuses to let its characters become stereotypes. This can occasionally be to the films detriment as a refusal to conform can often be translated as trying too hard to win the audience. What The Descendants does do is challenge us on some level to ascertain levels of culpability to characters in situations that are difficult, relatable and engrossing. This ensures the film is always engaging and always reaches the emotional highs it aims for, whether those are comedic or tragic.
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