Imagine this: you’re 38, you live with a dog called Arthur, and when your mother died your father came out of the closet. You talk to the dog and treat him like a person. Your parents were married for longer than you’ve been alive. You can’t hold down a relationship, you’re surrounded by gay men, and your father is terminally ill with cancer and you have to look after him…
Eventually he dies. Two months have gone by and you’re living alone, with a dog.
The film unfolds along three timelines: the immediate present, where he gets to know a French actress with whom he shares his loneliness, and the memories of his father’s last years and of his childhood with his mother, which help us understand the character’s feelings. Christopher Plummer deserves a special mention as the father who, at 75, decides to come out. He’s endearing above all, and brings great doses of humour, humanity and grace behind the camera. It’s about starting over, about change, about being patient and enjoying life while you wait for something better. Mary Page Keller, the mother, madcap, is a constant reminder of how unhappy the marriage was. Things aren’t going badly, but joy is missing. Mélanie Laurent (you’ll know her as the cinema owner in Inglourious Basterds) brings out the funnier side of the character and contrasts with the memories he has of his parents. She’s sweet, intelligent, sensitive, a companion in life’s sorrows and fears. She’s Anna.
Ewan McGregor is Oliver, the main character, a solitary artist around whom the whole story turns, accompanied by his dog, who comes out with some of the best lines in the film and always seems to know what’s best for him. The dog, without being the lead, takes up a good share of the screen time.
All together it makes a film that’s pleasant to watch, that doesn’t drag, that amuses, that isn’t too sad to be a drama and isn’t funny enough to be a comedy. It’s intelligent and interesting, with real feeling, and it’s a relief to find a script.
Beginners is about starting again, about not being afraid, about throwing yourself in, fighting for what you want, living without hang-ups, believing in yourself, setting no limits, being patient, trusting. It’s about how it’s never too late to be a beginner again, to fall in love.
Watch it if you like auteur cinema, if you’re interested in films that carry you along and tell you a story, that really get to know their characters…
In the vein of Somewhere, Lost in Translation or Biutiful.
Highly recommended.