Beginners

Few movies make me eat up my pre-conceived notions in a whirlwind of emotion. Recently, I made the accusation that the Oscars only give out awards to people who are going to die soon (if they are nominated in a category). I was referring of course to Jonah Hill's performance in Moneyball being overlooked because Christopher Plummer was nominated as well for Beginners. Well, I just watched Mr. Plummer's performance and I reject the day I ever made the assumption that he won his Oscar because he was knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door. Wow! Not only was Beginners a great film, it was also acted out tremendously well. This was a film about exploration, acceptance, loss, and remembrance. It's a film about the little things in life that pile up to make great, big things.

Oliver (Ewan McGregor) is mourning the loss of his father, Hal (Christopher Plummer) who announced he was gay a few years before his death. Oliver meets Anna (Melanie Laurent) and begins a romantic relationship with her. Documentation of their relationship is interlaced with Oliver's memories of his childhood as well as his final years with his father. The childhood sequences are sprinkled with few signs of Hal's homosexuality, but heavily illustrate his wife's slowly decaying sanity. The final years sequence shows a now adult Oliver helping his father with medical bills, parties, depression, memory loss, and the name of a certain music genre from a gay dance club. By reflecting on his past, Oliver is able to make decisions regarding his future without his father and with Anna.

I'm going to talk about the relationships of the film. There are Oliver, Hal, Anna, Andy (Goran Visnjic), and Arthur the dog. First there is Oliver and his father Hal. Oliver relationship with his father comes in two parts: one where he is living with his father who has come out of the closet after years of marriage and one where he is coping with the lose of him. Plummer plays so well off of McGregor's all-knowing personality. And like any other child trying to help an aging parent, Mr. McGregor displays frustration and love all at once. But it is clear that Oliver is very close to his father which leads to our next relationship: Oliver and Arthur. Arthur is essentially all that remains of Hal. Oliver adopts him after Hal dies and goes everywhere with Oliver. Everyone understands, as well, that Arthur is Hal which is why everyone who knew Hal is drawn so close to the dog. This is evident in Andy's relationship with Oliver and Hal and Arthur. Andy is the young, foreign boyfriend of Hal. He is deeply and truly in love with Hal. In one scene, Hal admits to Oliver that young straight men have it easy, that nobody will ever fall for an old man. This makes Hal and Andy's relationship even more admirable. And this is why in one of the last scenes, Andy has such an emotional reunion with Arthur because he reminds him so much of Hal. Finally, Oliver and Anna's relationship reflects around the unknown. The film does not dive so deep into their affairs as it does the affairs of Oliver and his home life. Fortunately, Oliver applies the same unspoken relationship of his parents to himself and Anna. There they find the true meaning of their love.

Beginners is a must see film because it has all the elements of a modern day comedy-drama. Fifty years ago, you wouldn't see films about fathers coming out or uncomfortable relationships. This film latches onto something in your stomach and makes you feel differently about life and the way we should live it. It speaks out to a number of audiences with a number of experiences. And Mr. Plummer, sorry for the Oscar comment, you've got at least another six years on Earth.