DRAMA and comedy beautifully collide in Alexander Payne’s long-awaited follow-up to Sideways, starring George Clooney as a father struggling to bring up his kids in supposed paradise.

Clooney is on superb form as Matt King, a lawyer in Hawaii who is also the sole trustee to a large plot of virgin land on one of the state’s islands, owned by his sprawling extended family.

While Matt can claim success in his career, his job as a husband and father is less than praise-worthy.

But when his wife is left in a coma after a water-skiing accident, he is unwittingly forced to take up his responsibility as a parent to his two wayward girls - 10-year-old Scottie (Amara Miller) and 17-year-old Alexandra (Shailene Woodley).

For a while Clooney’s character is a bumbling fool and a figure of fun, sprinting down the road in flat sandals and wearing garish Hawaiian shirts.

But when a dark secret about his comatose wife is revealed, the comedy gives way to a tale of grief, forgiveness and the importance of family bonds.

Clooney has never been afraid to go out of his comfort zone and while he’s played the idiot before (Burn After Reading or Oh Brother Where Art Thou?) his performance here is magnificently understated, allowing the audience to feel a genuine empathy for the character.

He gives what feels a much more accomplished performance than in his other film enjoying high praise at the London Film Festival this week (The Ides of March) and while it may not have the earth-shattering power behind it which usually wins Oscars, it definitely deserves a nod or two come awards season.

The Descendents is a bittersweet comedy drama of surprising nuance and maturity, which, combined with some breathtaking cinematography and a whimsical soundtrack, is satisfying food for thought and a gently moving cinematic experience.

The Descendents is showing at the 55th BFI London Film Festival on Sunday at 2.45pm and Monday at 12.45pm. To book, visit bfi.org.uk/lff