Beginners is my first Mike Mills film. Mills both wrote and directed this sedated but engaging film. His ubiquitous writing actually worked in a strange way. Rather than typical flashbacks, the story sort of weaves in and out of time frames using only characters to reference the period (with the support of narrated parts, which clearly talk about the time frames).
The film takes place primarily between 2003 and 2008, with sequences dating back to the 1930s and 1950s as well as somewhere around the 1970s. The time frames are introduced by the central character, Oliver (Ewan McGregor). Oliver's life is a wreck. He is a commercial artist whose artistic leanings may have been inspired more by his mother (Mary Page Keller) than his father (Christopher Plummer) who works at a museum.
Oliver's efforts at relationships have all been self-defeating. He has couched himself in a deep sorrow that permeates every aspect of his life. His only friends appear to be co-workers intent on bringing him out of his shell. As Oliver develops a new relationship with a strange girl he met at a party, he seems intent on interpreting his relationship through the lens of his deceased parents. The girl, Anna (Melanie Laurent), brings her own emotional baggage to the relationship.
Oliver's life is really not that contemplated. Following his mother's death, he learns that his father is gay. His recollections center on the loss of lovingness between his parents and his father's slow death from cancer. This emotional baggage eventually boils over, ruining every relationship that begins to get serious. Oliver claims he is waiting on a lion and won't settle for a giraffe. But he wouldn't know a lion if it bit him. It will take more than mere introspection to sort things out.
*Beginners& is a fun, serious, tongue-in-cheek film. The humor is wry with a quirky randomness. From a dog that talks in captions to random thoughts that express themselves visually on screen, the humor was just weird enough to appeal to me. I liked it. The film balances odd humor with serious examinations of relationships without getting lost in the emotional aspects of the film. The various interactions are handled delicately but never glossed over. As Oliver struggles with his own fears, we gain insight into who he is as a person. This covert character development felt unique in many ways. My only complaint was the pacing. Because the film has a subdued quality, the pacing often felt choppy, dragging for brief stretches before interjecting substance, comedy or intriguing perspective.
While watching Ewan McGregor in the role of Oliver, I kept thinking how perfect Ryan Gosling would have been. I guess that's not fair and is an offhand compliment to McGregor's performance. He was great. I have always respected Gosling's ability to make an understated role intriguing. McGregor accomplished that feat every bit as well as Gosling would have. I have only seen Laurent in a few roles but hope to see more of her. One of her better known films, Now You See Me, was one I didn't care for much. She was great. Plummer is a consummate professional who almost appeared as if he relished this role. His heartfelt passion for performing was ever present.
I am not sure why Beginners was rated R by the MPAA. There was some mild sexuality, but nothing explicit. There were no sex scenes, per se, although it was implied. There was a very brief bit of nudity, but not enough to really even consider as nudity. The subject matter involved relationships and the stuff that relationships are made of, which isn't always tidy. But I never felt the film crossed a line to earn it an R rating. The most questionable aspect was probably the language, but even that was relatively tame. This film deals with strained family relationships and homosexuality, but none of those include issues that are really controversial. If you child is old enough to understand relationships, they are old enough to see this film.
I enjoyed Beginners. My only complaint was the pacing, which made the 105 minute run time seem longer than it actually was. The film uses subtlety and an off kilter humor to tie together serious family associations. It was an enjoyable, gentle, fun, quirky film. 8/10.
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