I heard about Up in the Air (directed by Jason Reitman) about 6 months ago, in the UK. Of course it was released there shortly after I was back in SA, so I had to wait a while longer for it to be released here. But it was worth the wait.
Ryan Bingham (Played by George Clooney) works for a company that helps other companies fire their employees. Ryan is this company’s top “consultant”, and travels across the country most of the year, telling dozens of people every day that they’re being “let go”. Over the time he’s grown to love the travelling, and it has become his life. When his company employs Natalie (played by Anna Kendrick), who plans to make his travelling obsolete by introducing new technology, Ryan is not impressed. He is then instructed to take Natalie along with him for a few weeks, to show her the ropes. The struggle to deal with all the changes that threaten the life he’s learned to love brings many new experiences and Ryan learns much about what is missing in his life.
I really enjoyed watching this movie, because it dared to delve beyond the superficial. Ryan’s difficulty in dealing with change speaks about a lot of things we face nowadays. Ryan is used to being alone most of the time, and is only focused on his own goals, but starts to wonder whether a complete lack of any meaningful relationship might be a concern. Is it really worth it, living so isolated and separated from anything deeper than a mere acquaintance? I won’t tell you what his conclusion is – you’ll have to go watch Up in the Air yourself. It’s a great movie.
