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BY GEORGE! George Clooney ventures into uncharted waters as a jilted husband and rejected father in The Descendants and, of course, he pulls it off  handsomely.

THE DESCENDANTS sees two masters, both Oscar winners, both at the pinnacle of their game. Funny but also reflective and poignant, this is Alexander Payne’s first film since Sideways (2004). And in one of the most interesting roles of his brilliant career, George Clooney plays Matt King, a conflicted and flawed man discovering his own humanity and responsibility in the wake of a tragedy. His wife was involved in a boating accident off Waikiki and is on life support, in a coma.

In the depths of this crisis, King has to come to terms with the fact that he has been largely inadequate as a father as he attempts to repair his relationship with his two daughters.

Lack of parental support and stability has left both girls without direction. Seventeen-year-old Alexandra (Shailene Woodley) is rebellious and has been sent off to boarding school. Ten-year-old Scottie, played by first-time actress Amara Miller, is precocious and in need of parental supervision.

Compounding King’s grief is the added revelation that before her accident his wife had been involved with another man. “Matt is kind of lost, befuddled, disappointed – all the normal things people feel in life, realising they’ve done the wrong things,” says Payne.

“The film is about the awakening of a man who has been in an indifferent marriage that has gone stale,” adds producer Jim Burke. “It is a wonderful father and daughter story and something completely new for George Clooney.”

There’s a climactic confrontation scene between Matt King and the man with whom his wife was involved, real estate agent Brian Speer (played by Matthew Lillard). We see King frantically running along the beach, tracking down his nemesis to a vacation cottage where he is staying with his wife (Judy Greer) and their children.

“Matt is with his daughters and his elder daughter’s friend Sid, and he is finally meeting the guy who was sleeping with his wife,” says co-producer George Parra.

“It is a crucial scene because he finds himself in a position that he’s never been in before. He’s in a very angry and confused state of mind. As a man, I can relate to how it would feel and it’s so beautifully written. Matt really wants to get to his wife’s lover and find out why they did it. He wants to know: did she love him? All the things that you would want to know. It is wonderful casting because George is like the Clark Gable of our generation. But in this film we see him playing a very vulnerable man.”

All dark green wood and bright yellow walls, the beach cottage has panoramic views over the beach that borders the expanse of sparkling turquoise sea, sailboats dotting the horizon, majestic mountains and jagged cliffs behind us. Idyllic and tranquil, the stunning scenery is completely at odds with the tense atmosphere inside the lived-in kitchen of the cottage with pots and pans, empty wine bottles and a bottle of tomato sauce on the counter, where King is having a terse conversation with his wife’s lover. Clooney looks as handsome as ever, wearing a polo shirt over khaki shorts. But this is indeed a very different role for the consummate actor.

“Do you love her?” asks King, looking Speer directly in the eye. “You don’t love her; you were using her to get to me.”

“I wasn’t trying to get to you, all right. It was an attraction, sex,” Speer replies.

“Did she tell you she loved you?” And the emotionally fraught discussion continues.

Clooney’s performance is subtle and nuanced.

This is a man at his lowest point, who has failed to pay attention to the people who matter most: his wife and daughters. Now he is reaping the consequences.

But it is also a portrait of a man who is learning and growing.

“George is right for the part and he’s a terrific actor,” says Payne about his leading man. “He is a real pro and knows film-making inside and out. I couldn’t be more positive about him. He has spent most of his adult life on a film or TV set and he just loves it; that’s where he feels very comfortable and it shows. He is so at home.”

Parra adds: “George has never played a father. He’s always the powerful, positive, leading guy. This time he has to take care of the kids. He has to feed them and deal with their moods and their crying and their absurdities and he doesn’t know how to do that.”

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