Beginners is a heartfelt story of
finding oneself, embracing life and living without regrets. The film follows
Oliver Fields (Ewan McGregor) as he attempts to live life by his late father’s
example. It weaves between his current life with Anna (Melanie Laurent), and
his final months with his newly out of the closet father Hal Fields
(Christopher Plummer). The story is further brought to life through a series of
collages showing 'how X looked like at any given time' and was a brilliant way
to showcase the changes and similarities over the decades.
Hal married in a time when it was
socially unacceptable to be homosexual and his wife lived the façade with him.
It wasn’t until her death that Hal was able to embrace his sexuality and Oliver
finally understood the distance he had always sensed between his parents. It
must be so difficult for someone to live a lie the majority of their lives; but
also for the other person to live knowing that the life they've created is a façade
or that it doesn't feel right but never being able to place why. It was beautiful
how Hal embraced the last years of his life, living every moment in the ways he
never could before and that Oliver placed no judgement on this. Hal’s battle
with cancer and newfound freedom of self also brought him closer to Oliver as
he was able to have an honest relationship with his son for the first time. Hal’s
story was ultimately a beautiful, courageous and inspiring one.
Andy (Goran Višnjić) was Hal’s openly gay and younger lover. He indulged Hal’s new found
identity and desire to be an active part in the gay community. Oliver welcomed
Andy into his life with the same openness he accepted his father’s
homosexuality. When Hal was in hospital and family only was allowed to visit
Oliver made sure he could visit. However after Hal died Oliver found it
difficult to keep in regular touch with Andy because it hurt him to see someone
his father loved.
Oliver and Anna first meet at a
fancy dress party where he is in attendance with his late father’s dog Arthur.
Throughout the film Arthur is a character in his own right as he is Hal’s
unwavering companion and later Oliver’s confidant in his relationship with
Anna. In a unique and clever touch when Oliver is conversing with Arthur the
dog’s thoughts are subtitled; giving him that added sense of purpose within the
story.
When Oliver and Anna first met he
was someone who had no interest in being at a party and she was pretending to
have laryngitis. Throughout the course of the evening they conversed with Anna
writing on a notepad, and as the night went on they ended up at her place where
they talked the night away and Oliver eventually discovered she had not
actually lost her voice. Anna is a French actress who is both charming and
completely endearing. Her relationship with her father is not an easy one and
Oliver is still dealing with the death of his. I loved the innocence with which
Oliver and Anna's relationship started and that they became each other's
anchors in a world of hurt and loss. Their intimacy was more than sexual; their
relationship more often resided in the silent moments they shared; just being
together, holding hands and talking. There was a depth, but also a sadness to
their relationship that saw them break apart for a period, but ultimately they came
back together and became each other’s strength, bringing out a happier and care
free part of each other.
Writer/director Mike Mills has
created a uniquely charming, heartfelt story. Despite the obvious sadness at
the heart of the film and its characters this was ultimately an uplifting and heart-warming
story. It showed that out of lies can come truth, out of pain can come love and
out of loss can come happiness. That none of these negatives have to be an absolute
that the positive can be found and that while you will always carry these elements
with you they don’t have to define who you are.
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