I don't watch many movies, but my wife persuaded me to watch "Nebraska" this week. If you haven't seen it, it's a story about an old man whose life had been failure. He never earned much money, and he either gave or drank away what little he had. He was married to a woman who browbeat him much of the time, and he seemed to be suffering from some sort of dementia. He had two sons- one of whom seemed to struggling to "find himself," and one who was more successful and less co-dependent. Woody (that's his name) became convinced that he had won a million dollars in a contest, and his youngest son, David, (who couldn't say no to anyone) finally relented and drove him to Lincoln, Nebraska to claim his winnings (which everybody in the family-except Woody- knew didn't really exist).
Most of the story takes place in the small town where Woody grew up, and it involves a poignant journey in which David (and the rest of us) get a glimpse of what made Woody the person he turned out to be. Like others of his generation, Woody was a man of few words and his brothers didn't talk much either. So, the reunion they had while Woody was in town was filled with silence (like the Shedenhelm reunions I remember from the past). But once the word got out that Woody was a millionaire, the locals and even some of Woody's relatives, were more than willing to speak their mind. Some were happy that Woody had become a millionaire and some of them even recalled that Woody had been generous to a fault when he operated the auto repair shop in town. Others, however, wanted their share of Woody's money. They remembered the times when they had "bailed" Woody out because of his drinking and they wanted some of their money back. Woody told his son that the topic of love "never came up" between his mother and him, but David met a very, nice older woman in town- a woman who had once loved his dad. She said that Woody's drinking worsened after he was shot down in the Korean War (which David didn't know about)... and she indicated that they would've married if Woody's current wife hadn't won his heart. David had trouble believing that his mother's charm had ever won anyone over, but before they left for Lincoln, the entire family walked through the home that Woody grew up in. They walked into the room where Woody's little brother had died as a toddler and his parents bedroom, which Woody was not allowed to enter as a child. He said he was "whipped" if he did, but he didn't elaborate, and when his son asked him if he remembered his little brother's death (also named David), Woody simply noted that he was "there when it happened."
In the end, Woody and his son, David, arrived at their destination in Lincoln, only to confirm that Woody had NOT won anything at all. It had all been a joke, but Woody accepted a consolation prize of a hat. That, minus an ending that I won't disclose, is the story. It was a character study that touched me in a deep way because it was a trip that I would've loved to have taken with my own father. I would've loved to have walked through the streets of Marengo with my father, or had a beer with him in some little bar in Belle Plaine, and to have talked to old friends of his as they came up to us. Like Woody, my father drank too much, and it may have gotten worse after the War. Like Woody and others of his time, my father neither analyzed things to death nor blamed others for his life. His successes and his failures, his joys and his sorrows were his, and there was no need to explain or stir up old wounds. Like Woody, my father had a life that was both deeper and wider than just being a father. I'm sure there were lovers and haters in his life... and friends with whom he wiled away the hours. I know that he saw things, both ugly and beautiful, that I know nothing about and that he carried both dreams and regrets to his grave. I wish we would've talked more and that he would've expressed his feelings more.
Dad was far more driven and much less confused that Woody... but he also kept things to himself. Even important things. I suspect that, if I asked him if he remembered his little sister dying, he would've said something like, "I was there when it happened,"... and I can't help but wonder if the subject of love ever came up between our mother and him.
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