Ryan McNeil
If this review feels a little out of order and disjointed, I apologize in advance. The thing is though – such a tone would suit the subject matter to a tee.
BEGINNERS is the tale of Hal (Christopher Plummer). As we begin the film, we learn that Hal has passed away at the age of eighty – but he did not go quietly. Hal made the final five years of his life count to the fullest by coming out of the closet. His revelation comes as somewhat of a surprise to his son Oliver – which is understandable given that he was married to Oliver’s mom since the mid 1950’s.
Nevertheless, Hal is out and proud, and trying to squeeze a bit more out of life before a fight with cancer does him in.
While Oliver recounts the tale of Hal, he is trying to move on with his own life. He gets a boost by meeting Anna at a costume party, and the immediacy of their relationship becomes a welcome distraction. His kinship with Anna and their tender attitude towards each other seem to evoke the very life lessons Hal was trying to impart in his final few years. The question is, whether they will find something through their openness…or whether they are holding back their true selves.
BEGINNERS is a very personal film. The story is based on director Mike Mills’ real-life experience with his father coming out of the closet at age 75, before passing away five years later. Because the story is such a personal one, it’s difficult to analyze and interpret. It’s a strange feeling that I don’t often get from a film, and one that caused me to stew on the film for a few days before trying to pass along my thoughts to you dear readers. The jury is out on whether or not stewing has done me any good.
What I thought stood out most about BEGINNERS, was the broken narrative style which played like looking through a stack of photos that are out of order. The feeling is disorienting, but lovely in its abstract nature. In many ways, it’s the perfect way to tell a personal story, since so often it’s how we ourselves tell our own personal stories. We jump back and forth in time…fudge details…fill in gaps…and ultimately take the scenic route to make our point. This movie does that very thing, and somehow manages to avoid it feeling like a gimmick.
When we try to talk about these important bits of our life story, we sometimes have to feign emotion like Oliver does. As Anna points out upon their first meeting, he is trying to act happy and social, but his eyes betray him. If she thought his eyes were giving him away, I promise you – one glimpse at his art would have sealed the judgement. But like all true art, it is very evocative of the artist – in this case, sad, uninspired, and mixed up.
That element of the story is ultimately what draws us in. Many of us put on outward appearances – be they style, emotion, intelligence, or interest. We don’t all have to carry a death in the family, or misdirect a sexual identity, but distracting others from what we’re really feeling is a universal theme. Some of us can hide it better than others – some of us don’t even try. Is it wrong to try and suffer in silence? Maybe…but what’s the alternative? Openly weeping in your cubicle for a week or two? Oliver’s attempt to put on a brave face while feeling so mixed up is something we’ve all done from time to time, making it a big touchstone within the movie.
It’s not all masquerades and melancholy doodles, there’s a lot of wit to this story which keeps peeking its head into the frame like a photobomb. I’m thinking specifically of Arthur the dog and how he alternates between quiet stoicism and separation anxiety. If a dog ever suited its adoptive owner more than Arthur suits Oliver, I’m yet to see it. Likewise there’s the head-shakingly charming manner in which Hal grabs on to his newfound lifestyle. Plummer delights as he gets his first taste of house music, and likewise when he tries to champion pride colours. Such moments dot this very bittersweet movie with some much needed humour.
Such things are what we tend to gravitate towards when we think of our own family members that have left us. Those moments of passion, joy, and vibrance that we come to associate with them at their best. They trickle over and start to spill on to other people, other touchstones of their life, places they went, faces they knew…and when we are able to make sense of those images, we are able to pick up all those scattered photographs, and arrange them in a way that lets the visage fade away, and the truth remain.
ryan i think this may well be my favourite review of this movie. you have hit the nail on the head so to speak.
as i mentioned in my weekly round up a few weeks ago when i saw it i really didn’t care much for it either way, its the kind of reaction to a movie that inspired the name of my blog i guess.
Interesting that you found it walked through that no-man’s-land between “liked it” and “didn’t dig it”, but given that I had to mull on it for a while before being able to explain why I liked it, I completely understand.
Between the two main stories – Oliver & Hal/Oliver & Anna – was there at least one that grabbed you a bit more? They have common threads, but would appeal to very different people individually.
i liked both stories, they would both be interesting movies on their own. and probably have been many times.
the story of the dying out of the closet father is wonderfully uplifting until the death and the story of oliver and anna ends on such a sweet and positive note. combined they left me neither happy or sad, just indifferent.
Yeah, this hits the mark spot on for me too. I was a little disoriented, initially, about how I felt about the film. I was amused by Oliver’s relationship with Arthur, and captivated by the performances. Though I accepted it was a very personal film, I felt like the tone of the film, and the pace, rarely deviated, resulting in it feeling a little bit flat. But, then life can sometimes be like that. Especially for Oliver’s character, who has to deal with the grief of losing his father so soon after they had finally started to bond, and the confusion and frustration of possibly letting Anna become another girl to slip through his fingers. Anyway, I enjoyed it’s subtleties, and fleeting heartfelt moments, if a little put off by its self-indulgent quirks. Great review, Ryan!
I think that really sad and discombobulated feeling that Oliver carries with him is really echoed nicely within the film. Everything from his artwork, to his memory, to his ability to connect has been knocked off its access due to his inability to really get a grip on what’s happened.
Not sure I’d call the quirks self-indulgent…they didn’t lean on them heavily enough for that. I’m good with calling it “quirky”
Thanks for the feedback.
Nice review. By now, I’m you and most of my readers know by now that this is still my favorite film of the year.
I made some sort of connection with McGregor’s character that pulled me to tears on multiple occasions.
A beautiful and touching film.
I’ll have to reach back a bit and re-read your review. Anytime a film connects on a personal level, it’s interesting to read about why. Luckily I have three whole days off coming up to do so!
I was one of those who were touched on some deep level. I cried my way through the entire movie. Fortunately enough I was all alone in the cinema, a quite special experience, which I wrote about in a post earlier this summer.
I can see how this film could certainly reach a deep level for many who watch it! Glad to hear you loved it, once TIFF is over, I’ll go digging through your back pages to find your post.
Excellent review Ryan. I liked but didn’t love the film – it did seem a bit self-consciously quirky at times, and I didn’t entirely buy the relationship between Oliver and Anna. But all the stuff with Hal was pitch perfect, and all the performances (even Laurent, who does great work with a archetypal character) are fantastic.
I bought the relationship. Strange things can happen when you’re feeling screwed up, right?
See, I bought that HE was invested in it, but not so much the other way around.
I wrote in my review: “Anna never feels so much like a real character as she does like an object towards which Oliver can direct his idealised affections. Thanks to the excellent performances from both McGregor and Laurent, one never doubts the sincerity of the emotions between them, but too often, Anna’s behaviours and idiosyncrasies ring just a little false, while many of the circumstances of their encounters – rollerblading through a hotel lobby; a midnight date to write ironic graffiti on a billboard – drift dangerously into the territory of independent cinema cliché.”
Still, overall I really liked the film. And like I said above, the acting is of such high quality that it didn’t bother me THAT much