Movie Review: Nebraska

Nebraska, directed by Alexander Payne, tells the story of Woody Grant (Bruce Dern) and his family trying to navigate Woody’s dementia. Will Forte co-stars as David, Woody’s son, and the narrative follows them on an ill-fated trip to Lincoln, Nebraska. Woody has recently received a letter from a company that tells him he has won a million dollars, and he needs to travel to Lincoln to collect it. The letter is obviously a scam, and despite the protests of David, other son Ross (Bob Odenkirk), and wife Kate (June Squibb), Woody insists on Nebraska or bust – he wants his money.
 
The movie opens with Woody wandering down a busy street; what is going on? Why does Woody look so confused? Why would he fall for such an obvious scam? Anyone who has cared for someone with dementia or Alzheimer’s will recognize Bruce Dern’s facial expression immediately. Dern’s performance earned him an Academy Award nomination for good reason – he perfectly inhabits the mental and physical state of dementia: his blank stares are haunting, his ramblings often contain very little logic, and his stubbornness is downright frustrating. After Woody is found walking toward Lincoln twice more, and after David and Ross debate the pros and cons of putting him in a retirement home, David decides to indulge his father’s wish to go to Lincoln.

What follows is a movie heavily steeped in themes intensely familiar to the caregiver of dementia. Woody is forgetful, confused easily, and his unpredictable behavior infuriates his son. Yet, the pulse of this storyline is the love and patience David has for his father. He knows their time together is finite, and he enjoys uncovering things about his father he never knew. There is a particularly moving scene that shows David discovering the full impact that the Korean War had on Woody.

Nebraska is an honest film. It illustrates the emotional toll that caregiving can exact on a family. How are they going to afford the retirement home? What is mom going to do when she is left alone? At what point does caregiving distract TOO much from work? Just what the heck are we supposed to be doing? These are difficult questions, and, like real life, Nebraska provides no easy answers – caregiving is difficult and often there are no right answers, just the ones that make the most sense. But the director also gifts us with some moments that remind us of the true joys of family and caregiving. If you are a caregiver, this is a movie worth watching, and you will walk away with a few chuckles, a newfound respect for Will Forte’s acting chops, and a sense that you are not alone.