Review of Shine (1996) by Dawdlingpoet — 20 Nov 2021

I found the story very interesting, quite sad but certainly (to me anyway) quite fascinating. I've always had a passion for music and wish I could play, being quite a creative person, if I do say so myself. I've also seen a fair few film depictions of people who are brought up in strict households with what you could call stage parents and who struggle with belonging, identity and adolescence in general in teen years. The fact that the film is based on a true story made me even more interested to see how things played out (pardon the slight pun).

The parents come across as both harsh and suspicious towards others who show a keen interest in David's musical talent, as well as protective and perhaps nurturing. Initially I was in two minds about who ultimately had David's best interests at heart, given worries about potential exploitation and so on but I won't go in to any detail here. I felt the characters were portrayed particularly well, as it all seemed very raw, gritty and just realistic somehow. I felt a mix of emotions for David but primarily sadness for the predicament he found himself in. He clearly had certain issues which weren't being properly addressed, were overlooked or ignored, obviously to his detriment. David appears and sounds a very introverted, sensitive man, trying to find his place and come to terms with the hand he's been dealt, you could say. Cast wise, Geoffrey Rush portrays David as an adult, who comes across as somewhat of a stooped, unassuming man, who is ignored by many until he's put in front of a piano. Davids father is played by Armin Mueller-Stahl, who comes across as both very protective and very strict.

There is, unsurprisingly, a lot of piano instrumentation played during the film, which helps to lift, if briefly, the tone of the rather sombre themes it covers (those of perfectionism, abuse, expression via the creative arts perhaps?). I this was a very thought provoking film, it didn't come across to me as a big budget Hollywood-style film - for one, its an Australian film, having been filmed and most likely financed in Australia and so on but it doesn't really consist of big breathtaking panoramas, no special effects or the like. In a way it has a semi-documentary feel to it. There are a mix of uplifting moments and scenes and more almost suffocating ones, if that makes any sense.

I felt this film had a lot of heart about it, it felt like a very raw, quite tense and certainly a gritty depiction of one mans battle with his superior talent. Among the emotions I felt while watching this film were worry, joy and sadness. I feel that this film covers some sensitive areas (see the themes I've already mentioned in passing earlier on) and it does so quite well. Content wise, there are some moderately disturbing scenes, where violence is hinted at, although there is no real graphic violence and only mildly strong language used. Sex scenes are mildly hinted at, although again nothing graphic is shown. As far as plot pace is concerned, I didn't feel that the story at any point felt like it was dragging, that the plot was dragging on too long or becoming in any way 'stale'. It has a total running time of around about an hour and three quarters, so its not an especially long film - well, by today's standards anyway. I suppose it covers a fair bit of ground in such a relatively short amount of time.

Its a bit hard to explain exactly why this is the case, without including at least minor spoilers (which I always try my best to avoid) but it felt like the sort of film that would stay with me for a fair while after watching it. It has a powerful emotional side to it and thats what makes it quite gripping, mainly in the characterisation I suppose I'd say, if quizzed. You can hear the emotion, the personal expression that David works so hard to put across in his piano recitals, which is touching in as much as he's quite a reserved and (as I already mentioned) introverted individual. I suppose you could also say that its quite a claustrophobic film in a way. I apologise if you feel I'm giving too much away in terms of (hopefully mild) spoilers and the like, I do try to avoid those but as I say its hard to express my opinions and otherwise review such a film, without covering certain ground. I certainly found this to be both a gripping and emotional watch all in all and I feel the film was well made.

Yes, of course I'd recommend it. I feel this film did very well at portraying such an individual as David, with both his personal issues and superior musical talent, plus his difficult background and upbringing. It is quite an emotional watch, it has some uplifting scenes and some upsetting scenes. Its also quite thought provoking and covers some sensitive themes, such as perfectionism and introverted self expression, very well.