beginners - 4 smiles

“Beginners” is a delightful exploration of love and relationships and it’s not to be missed. With a smart screenplay, creative visual elements and a cute, cute dog, this film’s mixture of sadness, comedy and hope leaves you wanting more. “Beginners” is highly personal for writer/director Mike Mills and loosely based on a series of events that happened a few years ago. Mills’ mother had died and within months his 75-year-old father announced that despite their 44-year marriage, he was gay and intended to spend his remaining time living life to the fullest. Cancer shortened those plans, but not the enthusiasm with which he attacked them. Although this film might be considered bittersweet, it’s not really that sad. And it’s not about being gay or straight, but about the risks one must take for love. It’s about the son understanding the father and the example the father presents. The chemistry among the actors is remarkable, especially between Ewan McGregor and Melanie Laurent. And if you love dogs, you’re going to love Cosmo, the Jack Russell terrier. According Mills in the Los Angeles Times, ‘The goal was to have the dog part of these people’s lives and part of the relationships. For me the key part is that Oliver doesn’t treat him as someone who is cute or mentally less than himself. He is trying…to understand the dog much like his is trying to understand his father.’ Like the filmmaker, Oliver is a graphic artist and he tries to make sense of his emotions by sketching ‘the history of sadness’ since the birth of the world. These drawings not only enhance the narrative but add a visual depth.

Thirty-eight-year old Oliver (McGregor) tries to make sense of his parents’ marriage, which was not devoid of love but emotionally repressed. Because this is Oliver’s model for love, his relationships haven’t lasted. Oliver’s father, Hal, (an energetic Christopher Plummer), seen in various flashbacks, presents him with a new role model and tries to show his son how valuable each passing moment of life really is. Having inherited his father’s Jack Russell terrier and much confusion and grief, Oliver meets a French actress, Anna (Laurent), who is only in Los Angeles for a while and has issues of her own. She brings Oliver out of his sadness and he falls in love, but which model will he follow? By the end of the film, the title becomes clear: Oliver and Anna are new to relationships. “Beginners” is an intelligent and satisfying movie. See it; you won’t be disappointed. 6/5/11