BEGINNERS

US, 2010, 105 minutes. Colour.
Ewan Mc Gregor, Christopher Plummer, Melanie Laurent, Goran Visnjic, Kai Lennox, Mary Paige Keller.
Directed by Mike Mills.

Beginners seems an odd title for this film about personal relationships and characters finding themselves. Ewan Mc Gregor plays Oliver, a 38 year old cartoonist who has four failed relationships, lives a rather lonely and morose life, and is grieving at the death of his 79 year old father. We see him, in silent stills, packing up his father’s house. Then, he takes his father’s dog home to his nondescript apartment. Beginning or end?

Oliver narrates his story, informing us of the death of his mother from cancer, and the fact that, at 75, Hal, his father (played with sensitive aplomb by Christopher Plummer) has not only come out but has taken up a gay lifestyle and has a younger partner, Andy (Goran Visjnic). That certainly heralded a new beginning.

Made up as Sigmund Freud (that has to be more than a clue), he attends a party and encounters an attractive young woman with laryngitis, Anna, a French actress (Melanie Laurent, so good in Inglourious Basterds and The Round-Up). They click or, rather, she clicks more than he, though he wants to click with her. Another beginning. (But, he laments that his life has been of separations and deaths, endings.)

The film moves fluidly in and out of the different time zones, the present, his childhood past, his father’s last years. There are also various devices that alert audiences to reflect, like the collage of images of the sky, and of presidents, in 1955 when Oliver’s parents married, in 2003 when his father died, in1971 when Anna was born. The Jack Russell, Arthur, who communes with Oliver (as well as letting the audience know what he is thinking in subtitles) offers some humanity and humour.

The story is very important for writer-director, Mike Mills, because Hal does what Mills’ own father did, coming out. Which means that the film is an opportunity for Mills to dramatise important events in his life as well as explore his middle aged self. While this is important for Mills, it is not always engaging for the audience as Oliver, despite a few valiant attempts at cheering himself up, for instance, by huge writing huge graffiti, is quite a sad sack of a human being and it is not so easy to identify with him or even empathise when he is obviously asking us to. This is much easier to do with Hal and with Anna. Which makes the film something of a take it or leave it experience.

1. The title? For each of the characters? Hal and his dying, yet a new beginning in relationships? Oliver, death and beginning of relationships? The same for Anna?

2. The director, his own life story, his experience with his father, exploring his father’s life and attitudes, exploring his own responses? Exploring himself and his relationships? Dealing with family, death?

3. The Los Angeles settings, the city, apartments, workplaces, the gay groups? The contrast between New York and LA? The musical score?

4. Themes of marriage and orientations? Hal and his wife? The later revelation that she proposed to him, knew about his orientation, thought she could fix him? The affection – but her feeling the lack of passion? Her behaviour, her love for her son, her eccentric behaviour, especially at the art galleries? With her husband? With Oliver? Her final illness and death? The effect of this on Oliver?

5. The silent opening, the static photos of the rooms, Oliver packing, the rubbish being taken out, the introduction to Arthur, taking Arthur home?

6. The visual images of the sun, the sky, the stars, the president? Life in 2003? In 1955? The style of life from the images of 55? Later for Anna and 1971? The art and design?

7. The screenplay, the framework of Oliver and his father’s death, coming gradually to life again, falling in love with Anna? The film as a flashback? The intercutting of the flashbacks? Illuminating Oliver’s character?

8. Hal and his life, his work at the gallery, home life, his wife? Her death and the consequences? Coming out, his statement, the advertisement and the photo, desire, relationships, sex and love? His relationship with Andy? The bonds between the two, tenderness, gifts, talking, laughing? His mixing with the gay group? Political activity, causes? The parties, the dancing? His asking his son to allow him to live his life and be happy with it?

9. The interview with the doctor, the revelation of the cancer, his reaction, Oliver’s reaction, the decision not to tell Andy or anyone else? The scenes of treatment? The hospital – and the group visiting and drinking? His going up and down? The pills, the drip? No cure? Going home, Andy, his death?

10. Oliver and his age, experience, the workplace and the drawing, the colleagues and their helping him, the graffiti? Serious and humorous? His father’s death and having to cope? Realising later that he had not visited Andy or offered him consolation? Leaving the dog with Andy? His being hurt, loneliness?

11. Oliver as lonely, morose, the difficult relationships, his father’s taunts?

12. Going to the party, the irony of his being dressed as Freud, the sitting with the client, Anna and her laryngitis, listening to her, the drinks, the bond between the two, the phone call, driving – even on the sidewalk? Going out, talking, the woman ordering them out of the restaurant with the dog? The effect of the relationship with Anna, her apartment? Love? The phone calls from her father, their confiding in each other, the build-up of the relationship, her moving in? The introduction to the apartment? The tensions, her leaving? Oliver going to New York, her staying in Los Angeles? In the apartment, hope, return?

13. The importance of Arthur, the explanation of the Jack Russell? His bond with Hal? Oliver taking him home? Talking with the dog, the subtitles for the dog – and the humour?

14. Anna, her life, age, her experience in France, actress, relationships, going to the audition, her hopes? The encounter with Oliver, the laryngitis? The bonds between the two? Her father? Her leaving? Her not being in New York?

15. Anna and Oliver, finding each other, the fact that it was not too late – a new beginning?