Beginners
Reviews
Andres Gomez
A really delightful drama with superb performances and a great editing.
Filipe Manuel Neto
**The movie works well, but there are some details in the story told that, to me, make little sense. Am sorry.** Generally, I don't really like films that are too apologetic, that is, films that use cinema to advocate and defend causes, political ideas, social movements. It's OK to be part of the plot of a movie, but to make a movie for defense/publicity of these ideas is another very different thing. When I started to see this movie, I was scared to find just another movie defending the gay lobby, and its social and political flags. Well, now that I'm done, I'm relieved that my fears didn't go beyond that. The film has a fairly regular script, which seeks to tell an interesting story, focused on how a man begins a very passionate relationship with a charming Frenchwoman he has just met. He was very depressed because of the recent death of his father, and while the film tells us how the couple evolves in their new relationship, it also tells us how was, lately, the relationship between him and his father who, shortly after widowing, decides to tell his son that he is sick and is going to die of cancer and, moreover, that despite having been married, he has been a homosexual all his life, suffering at the cost of that secret and having a secret boyfriend. The strong point of the film is not only the dramatic story told (I never felt it was a comedy, as some say, despite having few funny moments in between), but also the original way in which it is told to us, with flashbacks and in a very visual way, using photographs and a very visual and interesting narrative style. There are certain moments when I felt that the narrator (the son) was actually presenting slides to the audience, which is us. And with that, I felt that Mike Mills, the director, took a calculated risk, and it turned out very well. Unfortunately, I felt that the homosexual subplot is not as credible. I simply cannot conceive how such a sick and elderly man would be in a loving relationship with someone who is almost his son's age. It's not a situation I can believe in… not because it's a gay relationship… but because of the age difference and health situation. In addition to the good story and the elegant way in which it is told, the film brings us a luxurious cast of great actors, with an evident highlight for the veteran Christopher Plummer, who gives us a moving and extremely worthy portrait of that father. By his side, and equally impactful and powerful, Ewan McGregor, in one of the strongest works I remember seeing him do. And this is not an understatement, as we know that McGregor is a great actor, and he has already proved to us what he can do on other occasions. Melanie Laurent, fresh out of "Inglorious Bast…ds”, has another excellent work here, although her character is not as remarkable and interesting as the two male leads. Goran Visnjic, unfortunately, has the most thankless role. I felt like he's really the most in the movie. Technically, the film is discreet, but effective, and bets a lot on interesting and well-crafted cinematography, with visuals that we can appreciate as the film unfolds. The editing is good, the pace is pleasant, and the sets and costumes are within what we could have expected to find. The soundtrack doesn't stand out or stand out.
Movie Recommendation
The Day After2017-06-07On her first day at work, Areum replaces a woman who broke up with the boss. The wife of the boss finds a love note, bursts into the office, and mistakes Areum for the other woman.More...
Blood of My Blood2007-10-05A Mexican boy smuggles himself to Brooklyn to meet his long-lost father - only to have his identity stolen upon arrival by an impostor who seeks to steal the fathers' fortune.More...
David Bowie: Five Years2013-05-25Featuring a wealth of previously unseen archive, this film looks at how Bowie continually evolved: from Ziggy Stardust to the Soul Star of Young Americans, to the ‘Thin White Duke’. It explores his regeneration in Berlin with the critically acclaimed album Heroes, his triumph with Scary Monsters and his global success with Let’s Dance. With interviews with all his closest collaborators, David Bowie - Five Years presents a unique account of why Bowie has become an ‘icon of our times’.More...
Field of Lost Shoes2015-03-30A group of teenage cadets sheltered from war at the Virginia Military Institute must confront the horrors of an adult world when they are called upon to defend the Shenandoah Valley.More...
Tethered Wings2025-05-14On his wedding day, Paul must face the man he loved—and lost—twenty years ago to a past that refuses to stay buried.More...
Your Mother Should Know2018-04-26A young photographer moves back in with his mother and has to adjust to his old hometown. Things get more challenging when she appoints him as her dating coach in order to spend more time together.More...
Marriage Story: From the Pages to the Performances2019-08-29Join Oscar nominated filmmaker Noah Baumbach, and Oscar nominees Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver and Laura Dern, as we take an intimate look at bringing the pages of Marriage Story to life.More...
Gun Hill Road2011-08-05An ex-con returns home to the Bronx after three year in prison to discover his wife estranged and his teenage son exploring a sexual transformation that will put the fragile bonds of their family to the test.More...
Listen Up Philip2014-05-07Anger rages in Philip as he awaits the publication of his second novel. He feels pushed out of his adopted home city by the constant crowds and noise, a deteriorating relationship with his photographer girlfriend Ashley, and his own indifference to promoting the novel. When Philip's idol Ike Zimmerman offers his isolated summer home as a refuge, he finally gets the peace and quiet to focus on his favorite subject: himself.More...
The Damned2024-05-16Winter 1862. In the midst of the Civil War, the US Army sends a company of volunteer soldiers to the western territories, with the task of patrolling the unchartered borderlands. As their mission ultimately changes course, the meaning behind their engagement begins to elude them.More...
Benjamin2019-03-15Benjamin, a rising star filmmaker, is on the brink of premiering his difficult second film ’No Self' at the London Film Festival when Billie, his hard drinking publicist, introduces him to a mesmeric French musician called Noah.More...
Italian for Beginners2000-12-07Several lonely hearts in a semi-provincial suburb of a town in Denmark use a beginner's course in Italian as the platform to meet the romance of their lives. The film, which unspools the connections and family drama shared between the students, complies with several aesthetic principles of Dogme 95 movement.More...
Summer Hours2008-03-05After the death of a septuagenarian woman, her three children deliberate over what to do with her estate.More...
F Marry Kill2025-03-06When true-crime junkie Eva Vaugh is shoved into the dating app world by her besties on her 30th birthday, she suddenly finds herself at the center of a real-life murder case. As new details about the murders are revealed on her favorite podcast, she realizes that one of the three men she’s dating could be the infamous "Swipe Right Killer" terrorizing the city.More...
The School Teacher1975-07-11A rich Sicilian, Fefè Mottola, decides to call a wealthy girl graduate: Giovanna, who is about to become a teacher, because his son needs repetitions. The boy, named Franco, is shocked by the physical beauty of the teacher, and so to restrain himself decides to pose as gay. But the deception does not last long, because the sexual impulses of Alfredo explode.More...
The Decoy Bride2011-06-06A local woman is hired to draw paparazzi away from a Hollywood actress who has come to Scotland to get married.More...
The Trip2011-04-24When Steve Coogan is asked by The Observer to tour the country's finest restaurants, he envisions it as the perfect getaway with his beautiful girlfriend. But, when she backs out on him, he has no one to accompany him but his best friend and source of eternal aggravation, Rob Brydon.More...
Brassed Off1996-11-01A Yorkshire coal mine is threatened with closure and the only hope is for the men to enter their Grimley Colliery Brass Band into a national competition. They believe they have no hope until Gloria appears carrying her Flugelhorn. At first mocked for being a woman, she soon becomes the only chance for the band to win.More...
The One I Love2014-08-08Ethan and Sophie are a married couple on the brink of separation when, at the urging of their therapist, they decide to salvage their relationship by escaping to a beautiful vacation house for the weekend.More...
In the Aisles2018-05-24Christian, a reclusive young man from Leipzig, gets a job working the night shift at a big-box store. He's trained to stocks goods and operate a forklift by Bruno, a wistful former truck driver, who introduces Christian to a colorful group of overnight workers, including Marion, with whom Christian develops a troubled infatuation.More...
Similar Movies
Midnights with Adam
2013-05-08Over the course of one night, a newly out-of -the-closet young man struggles to hold back his feelings for his straight best friend while dealing with the problems and complications of being different in a hetero-normative world.Pink Flamingos
1972-03-17Notorious Baltimore criminal and underground figure Divine goes up against Connie & Raymond Marble, a sleazy married couple who make a passionate attempt to humiliate her and seize her tabloid-given title as "The Filthiest Person Alive".Manhattan
1979-04-25Manhattan explores how the life of a middle-aged television writer dating a teenage girl is further complicated when he falls in love with his best friend's mistress.All About Eve
1950-11-09From the moment she glimpses her idol at the stage door, Eve Harrington is determined to take the reins of power away from the great actress Margo Channing. Eve maneuvers her way into Margo's Broadway role, becomes a sensation and even causes turmoil in the lives of Margo's director boyfriend, her playwright and his wife. Only the cynical drama critic sees through Eve, admiring her audacity and perfect pattern of deceit.The Wing or the Thigh...
1976-10-27Charles Duchemin, a well-known gourmet and publisher of a famous restaurant guide, is waging a war against fast food entrepreneur Tri- catel to save the French art of cooking. After having agreed to appear on a talk show to show his skills in naming food and wine by taste, he is confronted with two disasters: his son wants to become a clown rather than a restaurant tester and he, the famous Charles Duchemin, has lost his taste!Kanchana Sita
1978-12-21The film interprets a story from the Uttara Kanda of the epic poem Ramayana, where Rama sends his wife, Sita, to the jungle to satisfy his subjects. Sita is never actually seen in the film, but her virtual presence is compellingly evoked in the moods of the forest and the elements. The film retells the epic from a womens' liberationist perspective, and is about the tragedy of power and the sacrifices that adherence to dharma demands, including abandoning a chaste wife.American Beauty
1999-09-15Lester Burnham, a depressed suburban father in a mid-life crisis, decides to turn his hectic life around after developing an infatuation with his daughter's attractive friend.Dancer in the Dark
2000-09-01Selma, a Czech immigrant on the verge of blindness, struggles to make ends meet for herself and her son, who has inherited the same genetic disorder and will suffer the same fate without an expensive operation. When life gets too difficult, Selma learns to cope through her love of musicals, escaping life's troubles – even if just for a moment – by dreaming up little numbers to the rhythmic beats of her surroundings.A Spot for Frog
2022-06-01Locked out of the school art room, a creative non-binary teen named Frog grapples with anxiety as they seek a new place to eat lunch. Imagination blurs with reality in this hybrid work of live action and animation about finding a place to belong.Crying 100 Times - Ev...
2013-07-22Shuichi had a motorcycle accident 4 years ago. Because of the accident, he lost the last year of his memory. One day, at a friend's wedding, Shuichi has a fateful meeting with Yoshimi. They enjoy happy times together and Shuichi thinks about marrying Yoshimi. Then Yoshimi becomes sick. A sad truth is hidden in the lost memory of Shuichi.My Sassy Girl
2024-01-31The film tells the love story of Junjee, and Sheena. Junjee just cannot seem to catch a romantic break. Their personalities stand opposite to the characteristics traditionally associated with masculinity and femininity in Asian societies in general.Malee
2024-11-14Him, Dean, Chopper, and Kane, four best friends meet again at the funeral of Dean's mother. They volunteer to stay with Dean, who is left alone at his house in Ayutthaya, and help Dean with his things as Dean intends to sell the house. As soon as they step into the ancient house, a strange phenomenon begins to emerge, especially after Him accidentally puts the sacrificial manohra dancer's chada on his head. The spirit of the dancer follows Him without stopping.Uncontrolled Love 2
2016-08-20Xie Yan realizes his love for Shu Nian, but Shu Nian hides his feelings. After Shu Nian is fired by Xie Yan's father, their relationship faces more turmoil.Crying Out In Love
2016-08-26Chinese romance film directed and co-written by Kwak Jae-yong, starring Oho Ou, Zhang Huiwen, Yang Zi, Wang Zhi, and Yao Lu. The film is an adaptation of Kyoichi Katayama's 2004 novel Socrates in Love. Crying Out In Love was released by Beijing Enlight Pictures on 26 August 2016D.E.B.S.
2004-01-22The star of a team of teenage crime fighters falls for the alluring villainess she must bring to justice.Transamerica
2005-02-14A transgender woman takes an unexpected journey when she learns that she had a son, now a teenage runaway hustling on the streets of New York.Big Fish
2003-12-25Throughout his life Edward Bloom has always been a man of big appetites, enormous passions and tall tales. In his later years, he remains a huge mystery to his son, William. Now, to get to know the real man, Will begins piecing together a true picture of his father from flashbacks of his amazing adventures.The Hours
2002-12-27The story of three women searching for more potent, meaningful lives. Each is alive at a different time and place, all are linked by their yearnings and their fears. Their stories intertwine, and finally come together in a surprising, transcendent moment of shared recognition.Marry Me, Dude
2017-10-25Yassine asks his best friend Fred to marry him in order to avoid deportation...Saint-Narcisse
2021-11-25Dominic’s fetish is… himself. Nothing turns him on more than his own reflection. That’s why discovering that he has a twin brother, raised in a remote monastery by a depraved priest, causes him major consternation. Fate brings the two young men back together again, and their fraternal relationship is torn between sex, revenge and redemption.