[Movies] Beginners

Hello Folks! Marcus here again. My recommendation today is for Beginners.

Let me first say that this film is very close to my heart. It's one of those movies that gets at a very specific truth and hits a lot of nerves along the way. Simply put, I love it to pieces.

The film is structured as a series of interconnected flashbacks telling the story of Oliver (Ewan McGregor), as he reflects on the life and death of his father, Hal (Christopher Plummer), who began living as an openly gay man following the death of Oliver's mother, Georgia. Juxtaposed this is Oliver's budding relationship with French actress, Anna (Melanie Laurent).

Partially based on director Mike Mills' own experiences, the film is an intensely personal effort to examine ones self and how even our smallest actions impact those closest to us. There's a through line of not only sorrow, but fear in the film, and this rings especially true in the flashbacks featuring Hal and Georgia. Ewan McGregor, in particular, does a great job playing up the emotional displacement of Oliver's situation while still keeping everything well below the surface. His Oliver is not so much reserved as much as he's culture shocked, and it bleeds into his every movement.

Beginners is an emotionally-dense film that deals with a great many issues while still keeping a tight focus on it's characters and their internal struggles. If you're looking for a film that appeals to existentialist in you as well as the romantic, then be sure to check out Beginners for your next movie night.