☻☻Beginners (2011) is a odd cross between a series of bittersweet romances and a father-son bonding film.
Oliver (Ewan McGreggor) is still in mourning for his father, Hal (Christopher Plummer), who came out of the closet at 75, after 44 years of marriage. We watch Oliver's new romance with the unpredictable Anna (Melanie Laurent) in between flashbacks of his changing relationship with his gay father.
As Hal slowly succumbs to cancer, we see him make do, to live in the moment -- often ignoring some of the needs of others. Hal knows his son asks too much; he's unwilling to accept less than his ideal and will thus lose out.
Hal's life is contrasted with Oliver's relationship with Anna. Yet Anna's behaviour is also odd.She appears to have her own problems, and is unwilling to share them. She receives telephone calls she is unwilling to answer and when Oliver invites her to move in with him, she is unable to cope.
Oliver's mother (Mary Page Keller), whose death triggered his father's outing, is an enigma. The film makes it very clear that Oliver's parents did not lead a happy home life. However, we are left to decide for ourselves whether her behaviour was due to husband's virtual abandonment or an unrelated psychological problem.
I enjoyed watching Oliver's new relationship with his father unfold, but I was much less comfortable with his romance with Anna. I kept wondering if we were being given glimpses of Oliver's childhood and his mother's behaviour as examples of what he could expect in a future with Anna.
Perhaps it was just to explain that al had been gay from the start, but that's rather simplistic. I also kept thinking that the relationship with Anna began during the period of Hal's decline. I think this was because I wanted Hal's practical opinion about her. Would he have counselled the short-term make-do approach or a more long-term solution?
Speaking out:
82%/81% rottentomatoes.com (23 Jun 2011*)
* Date of web access.
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