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Beginners
This is what love feels like.
Oliver meets the irreverent and unpredictable Anna only months after his father Hal Fields has passed away. This new love floods Oliver with memories of his father, who, following the death of his wife of 44 years, came out of the closet at age 75 to live a full, energized, and wonderfully tumultuous gay life – which included a younger boyfriend.
- Original title
- Beginners
- Language
- EN
- Country
- US
- Budget
- $3,200,000
- Revenue
- $14,311,701
Filipe Manuel Neto
Sep 6, 2022 · via TMDB
**The movie works well, but there are some details in the story told that, to me, make little sense. Am sorry.** Generally, I don't really like films that are too apologetic, that is, films that use cinema to advocate and defend causes, political ideas, social movements. It's OK to be part of the plot of a movie, but to make a movie for defense/publicity of these ideas is another very different thing. When I started to see this movie, I was scared to find just another movie defending the gay lobby, and its social and political flags. Well, now that I'm done, I'm relieved that my fears didn't go beyond that. The film has a fairly regular script, which seeks to tell an interesting story, focused on how a man begins a very passionate relationship with a charming Frenchwoman he has just met. He was very depressed because of the recent death of his father, and while the film tells us how the couple evolves in their new relationship, it also tells us how was, lately, the relationship between him and his father who, shortly after widowing, decides to tell his son that he is sick and is going to die of cancer and, moreover, that despite having been married, he has been a homosexual all his life, suffering at the cost of that secret and having a secret boyfriend. The strong point of the film is not only the dramatic story told (I never felt it was a comedy, as some say, despite having few funny moments in between), but also the original way in which it is told to us, with flashbacks and in a very visual way, using photographs and a very visual and interesting narrative style. There are certain moments when I felt that the narrator (the son) was actually presenting slides to the audience, which is us. And with that, I felt that Mike Mills, the director, took a calculated risk, and it turned out very well. Unfortunately, I felt that the homosexual subplot is not as credible. I simply cannot conceive how such a sick and elderly man would be in a loving relationship with someone who is almost his son's age. It's not a situation I can believe in… not because it's a gay relationship… but because of the age difference and health situation. In addition to the good story and the elegant way in which it is told, the film brings us a luxurious cast of great actors, with an evident highlight for the veteran Christopher Plummer, who gives us a moving and extremely worthy portrait of that father. By his side, and equally impactful and powerful, Ewan McGregor, in one of the strongest works I remember seeing him do. And this is not an understatement, as we know that McGregor is a great actor, and he has already proved to us what he can do on other occasions. Melanie Laurent, fresh out of "Inglorious Bast…ds”, has another excellent work here, although her character is not as remarkable and interesting as the two male leads. Goran Visnjic, unfortunately, has the most thankless role. I felt like he's really the most in the movie. Technically, the film is discreet, but effective, and bets a lot on interesting and well-crafted cinematography, with visuals that we can appreciate as the film unfolds. The editing is good, the pace is pleasant, and the sets and costumes are within what we could have expected to find. The soundtrack doesn't stand out or stand out.
Andres Gomez
Sep 3, 2013 · via TMDB
A really delightful drama with superb performances and a great editing.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Fandango At Home
Ewan McGregor
Oliver Fields
Christopher Plummer
Hal Fields
Mélanie Laurent
Anna Wallace
Goran Višnjić
Andy
Kai Lennox
Elliot
Mary Page Keller
Georgia Fields
China Shavers
Shauna
Melissa Tang
Liz
Amanda Payton
Party Person
Luke Diliberto
Green Witch
Lou Taylor Pucci
Magician
Jodi Long
Dr. Long
Bruce French
Dr. Wright
Michael Chieffo
Hal's Priest
Jennifer Hasty
Secretary
Catherine McGoohan
1978 Older Woman
Terry Walters
Terse Nurse
Lana Young
ICU Nurse #2
AlgeRita Wynn
Nice Nurse
Jose Yenque
Robert
Rodney Saulsberry
1978 Museum Staff
Bambadjan Bamba
The Sads
Christopher Blauvelt
Additional Photography
Kasper Tuxen
Director of Photography
Jennifer Johnson
Costume Design
Miranda July
Thanks
Robert Alonzo
Utility Stunts
Mike Mills
Director
Rod Smith
First Assistant Director
Olivier Bugge Coutté
Editor
Courtney Bright
Casting
Nicole Daniels
Casting
Jay Van Hoy
Producer
Lars Knudsen
Producer
Miranda de Pencier
Producer
Robin Urdang
Music Supervisor
Brian Reitzell
Original Music Composer
Roger Neill
Original Music Composer
Leslie Shatz
Sound Designer
Leslie Shatz
Sound Re-Recording Mixer
Justin Barber
Visual Effects
Wes Ball
Visual Effects
Mike Mills
Writer
Saudade
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