Alexander Payne’s “The Descendants,” winner of Best Picture at the 2012 Golden Globe Awards, stars George Clooney as Matt King, a husband and father who is also a descendant of Hawaiian monarchy. When his wife is injured and slips into a coma after a water skiing accident, he becomes a single father to his two daughters Alexandra and Scottie, played by Shailene Woodley and Amara Miller, respectively.

Island viewers will recognize the different venues that King and his daughters travel to. For example, younger daughter Scottie goes to school at Mid-Pacific Institute. King’s wife, Elizabeth King, also has graduated from Punahou School.

Too many movies portray Hawaii as a paradise, where people don’t experience hardships or have a hard time making a living. However, Payne shows a different side of the islands, portraying the realistic, normal life that most residents have.

“The Descendants” is rated R for language including sexual references. It is not recommended for children because it deals with themes of death and adultery. Still, this movie is an accurate depiction of island living that many movies forget to portray. It is an outstanding film.