Beginners [2011]

When a film has so many attributes, including a superior performance by 81 year old Christopher Plummer, it’s tempting to overlook its shortcomings. That wouldn’t be completely honest, but at least I can say that “Beginners” has plenty going for it. Ewan McGregor dominates every scene as Oliver, a 38 year old man whose attempt at romance has failed miserably so far in his life. When he meets Anna (Melanie Laurent), he falls in love but is haunted by the fear of another failure. Meanwhile, and through flashbacks, we learn more about his past: his relationship with his mother, who died of cancer, and his father (Plummer) a museum director who announced he was gay at the age of 75 and found himself a young boyfriend before succumbing to cancer as well. This is “Beginners” in a nutshell. Director Mike Mills based the character on his own father, and he captures the son’s grief in the first few seconds of the movie. He narrates for us a series of images, the first of many that says: “This is the sun in 1955. This is what pets looked like. This is smoking… My parents got married in 1955, they had a child and they stayed married for 44 years, until my mother died. Six months later my father told me he was gay. I remember him wearing a purple sweater when he told me this, but actually he wore a robe. He was gay the whole time they were married.” Oliver’s narration throughout the film deepens the love story, which is also the story of how hard it is to fall in love when you’ve been raised by a family that hides things. McGregor is solid in the lead, but it’s Plummer’s performance that should earn him at least an Oscar nod in my opinion.

“Beginners” might be flawed and uneven at times, but it’s also thought provoking, funny and deeply moving. In the midst of it all, I found something sweet and rare to cherish. Indie fans wouldn’t want to miss it.

Rating: 3/4