Review of Beginners (2011) by Hoops2448 — 20 Oct 2011

Beginners begins with loss, the loss of a parent. However its this event that brings about what I can only describe as one of the most heartfelt, gripping and powerful movie experiences.

Beginners is the story of Oliver Fields (Ewan McGregor) a son trying to handle the loss of his father who died only 2 months prior. However he is also looking back on his father Hal's (Christopher Plummer) life following the death of his mother, when Hal came out as a gay man (a moment handled so beautifully I might add). The story is one of both men trying to find love in their own way with Hal finally being able to accept who he is and Oliver trying to get over the significant commitment issues he has. In this regard Beginners succeeds with Oliver meeting a french actress called Anna (Melanie Laurent) and Hal meeting a young paranoid gay man named Andy (Goran Visjnic). Together the four leads provide some outstanding performances with Christopher Plummer being incredibly vibrant and entertaining while conveying Hal's wonder at how the gay scene had changed with him enjoying every minute of his new life despite the fact he has just been diagnosed with cancer. McGregor is an engaging lead with his performance showing incredible versatility with Oliver being very closed off at first and then much more emotionally enthralling later on. Laurent and Visjnic are equally gripping with the latter bringing his characters flamboyant nature to life while also hinting at the characters fears about his acceptance within society. Beginners flourishes in its quirky tone and manages the time jumps from Oliver's present (2003) to his fathers 4 years as an openly out gay man, to Oliver's childhood with his mother. The film actually benefits from this approach with there being moments where Oliver does something that seems totally random (like say hello to his house, his dining room, his bedroom) and the flashbacks show that not only is it not random it is Oliver's way of connecting to the man he lost just as he was finally getting to know him.

The film plays to its strengths with the idea of silence meaning more than words, especially with Laurent's Anna who has laryngitis when we first meet her at a costume party. Despite this obvious problem the communication between Oliver and Anna is incredibly honest and the evolution of their relationship is realistic while quirky, touching but not overtly emotional and ever so slightly adorable.

The overall result is a film that makes the viewer think but also allows them to lose themselves in a world of great characters and engaging story thanks to some outstanding direction, acting and editing. A film I will be thinking about for days, maybe even weeks.