Beginners
Beginners deftly juggles two chronologies to tell the heartwarming story of two major points in the life of Oliver (Ewan McGregor), a talented illustrator.
One timeline follows the slow-burning deterioration of Oliver’s father (Christopher Plummer), who is dying of cancer.
But his impending death is not the only news that has caught Oliver off guard; his divorced father, at the age of seventy-five, has also come out of the closet.
Just like that, he gets a new wardrobe, a new boyfriend and an entirely new outlook on life.
Following his father’s death, a bereaved Oliver becomes somewhat of a shut-in. As Beginners takes us through his personal journey, the film flashes forward, intercutting a budding relationship between Oliver and a young French actress (Mélanie Laurent) whom he meets at a costume party that he attends under duress.
The twin narratives gradually reveal subtle associations about how Oliver reacts to both these unpredictable relationships, and how his father and girlfriend motivate him to surpass his self-prescribed limitations.
Jane Schoettle - toronto International Film Festival
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, Mélanie Laurent, Goran Visnjic