Review of Shine (1996) by James J — 02 Aug 2011

The plot is a bit nonlinear. The images occasionally let us into the mind of a man experiencing a breakdown. The classical music adds to the emotional force of many scenes. Geoffrey Rush fully commits to the older David Helfgott trying to reenter the big wide world and make a comeback on the piano.

I however found the part of the story involving the young David (Rafalowicz) and the teenage David (Taylor) more interesting. The abusive relationship between father (Mueller-Stahl) and son was tragic, but also the source of uplift when David goes his own way and has success on his own terms.