In a Grey Universe

Shubhra Gupta. by Amit Mehra

The screening of 2013 black-and-white Nebraska, as part of The Indian Express Film Club at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, on Wednesday, left many in the audience pleasantly surprised. The film directed by Alexander Payne, had Bruce Dern, Will Forte and June Squibb in lead roles. It was nominated for the Palme d’Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. “It’s a film about relations, ageing, human bonding and hope. And even though it’s set in the American Midwest, the themes are universal,” said Shubhra Gupta, The Indian Express film critic, who held a post-screening discussion.

The film has, at its core, Dern’s character Woody Grant, who has been conned by a mail order service into thinking that he has a million dollars sweepstakes, which is in fact designed to fool people into buying magazine subscriptions. Grant, then embarks on a journey from Billings, Montana, to Lincoln, Nebraska, to claim the said million dollars. The reactions of his family, the community at large and the trials and tribulations he faces, along with his son, who decides to accompany him on this wild goose chase is the rest of the film. “It’s a film about spouses as well. The way his wife, Kate, reacts to his hair-brained scheme of getting rich. They fight with each other but there are these tender moments where she supports and stand up for him,” said Sangeeta Verma, government official. For many in the audience the film was about the loneliness and isolation that we all feel as we age. “The huge expanse — the greyness everywhere — is a reflection of how we have alienated ourselves from society. You keep driving through these straight highways and sometimes you only have telephone wires that keep you company,” says Vikram Behl, hospitality expert.

But in spite of the starkness and isolation, the takeaway from the film is the reverence for human life. “When David (Woody’s son) gets dumped by his girlfriend, he still continues to water her plants. That’s a beautiful sequence – where he still wants to nurture and revere life,” said Neena Verma, consultant.