Review of Beginners (2011) by Brett C — 17 Nov 2014

Review In A Nutshell:

Life is only beautiful if we are happy, and there are many contributing factors that lead to happiness, but none possess the large gratifying impact that love has. Love comes in all sorts of forms; it does not have to be limited by the standards of pre-existing or contemporary society. Ideas like sexual preference, monogamy, racial and cultural identity, should not matter; what does matter is that something wonderful is felt when in the presence of that certain person or group of people.

Beginners does not push its ideas down the audience's throat, it certainly is there and the film does spend quite a number of times deviating the central romance in order to explore it, but it does so in such a smooth and emotionally effective way. The film goes back and forth between before and after the death of Oliver's father, Hal; and exploring the impact that it had on both father and son, when the former came out of the closet. Mike Mills does not comprehensively flesh out the issue of homosexuality, especially in a historical stand point, but it does provide a subjective recount on how it has evolved over the years, stating that times now are much different to what it was back then, and that love can now be expressed in more ways than ever before.

I first watched this film around two to three years ago, and what really stuck with me was the warm feeling that I had when I watched Oliver and Anna's relationship; a similar feeling was found during my experiences of seeing Her and Lost in Translation. Their relationship was romantically sweet that I could not help but feel envious of what these two characters have; and a lot of that is due to Miller's honest direction, not relying on manipulative sequences to conjure up empathy and emotions towards their characters. Credit also goes towards the performances brought in by the film's cast, with a stand out performance by Christopher Plummer and wonderful chemistry from both Melanie Laurent and Ewan McGregor.

The film's musical score was also wonderful, acting as a support in shaping the film's emotions, while also balanced enough that it scenes still come off as honest and sincere.

If you asked me back then on how I felt about the film, I would have told you it was perfect; but time has passed and I have seen so much on cinema, with graceful storytelling and impacting themes. Beginners certainly does not lack any substantial heart, but its ability to resonate it was lost during the final act of the film. I never felt that all of its ideas came together nicely at the end, leaving me at a still emotional state.

Beginners certainly does not leave a bad taste in your mouth, but it also loses its flavour by the end of the film; kind of like chewing gum, it starts off great but within half an hour, what is being chewed has become essentially nothing.