Review of Beginners (2011) by Blake P — 07 Feb 2012

Thirty-something Oliver (McGregor) is already sad from the news that his mother has died, and just in the wake of her death, at the ripe age of 75, his dad, Hal (Plummer) comes out of the closet. Living the life of a gay man until he's struck with a terminal disease, Hal lives his new life to the fullest, and takes in a younger boyfriend (Visnjic) along the way.

After his death, Oliver becomes depressed, but is inspired by the fact that his father started a new life, so he decides to start a relationship with French actress Anna (Laurent). He and Anna have a deep relationship, but the pair have commitment issues themselves, forcing Oliver to come to terms with his life.

"Beginners" just might so far be my favorite movie of 2011. Not only is it well written, acted, and told, (and made at a very low budget) but it is so involving that at times I felt like I was part of each characters life.

I felt as if I could perfectly understand what everyone of them was going through, and that is something rare, both in acting, and in plot. It's involving, but it has such an intriguing subject matter that it becomes exciting and different, something that most films in the "quirky dramedy" genre don't seem to achieve.

Mike Mills takes such a personal story (most of the film is partially true) and creates it into an absorbing drama. At only his second film, I think he just might be one of the young director's to look out for.

The highlight of the film for most critics though, is Christopher Plummer's performance. At 82, he delivers such a quietly mesmerizing performance that I won't be at all surprised if he wins the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

He's great, but the fact that McGregor ("Big Fish", "Young Adam"), and Laurent ("Inglorious Basterds", "Le Concert") are so largely ignored comes as a surprised for me.

Everybody and everything in this film are simply flawless. "Beginners" is a hidden gem that should be nominated in more Oscar categories. Recommended.