Review of Shine (1996) by Stuart K — 05 Aug 2013

Directed by Scott Hicks (Snow Falling On Cedars (1999) and Hearts in Atlantis (2001)), this is a little low budget Australian film, which didn't have much in the way of stars, (well one or two English names), but it managed to capture the hearts and minds of moviegoers the world over, winning Geoffrey Rush a Best Actor Oscar, and catapulting him to stardom around the world, but it's a film with brilliant performances in it.

This tells the story of pianist David Helfgott (Geoffrey Rush), who had a very troubled upbringing in Perth, when he was a teenager (Noah Taylor), he was a brilliant virtuoso pianist, but he was abused by his father Peter (Armin Mueller-Stahl).

Despite this, David is given the opportunity to study at the Royal College of Music in London, where he studies under Cecil Parkes (John Gielgud). However, his behaviour becomes more manic, and he suffers a complete mental breakdown.

On returning to Australia, he's rejected by his father, and spends years in and out of mental homes, but he soon finds work playing the piano in a restaurant, where he befriends Gillian (Lynn Redgrave), who he later marries.

It's a brave film, which isn't afraid to shy away from it's subject of mental illness, but it's well made, and despite later criticism, it's a powerful and moving film with some lovely performances throughout.