Beginners - Ewan McGregor is a graphic artist who finds his life at a crossroads when his elderly, recently widowed father (played by Christopher Plummer) reveals that he is gay and has terminal cancer. It's heart-breaking, funny, emotionally involving and ultimately uplifting- It's an extremely well-written and beautiful film through and through and my current pick for the best pure Drama to be released in 2011.
Although McGregor and Plummer are perfect, I found French actress Melanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds), McGregor's newfound love interest in the film, to be captivating in every scene in which she's featured. She's the most underused and under appreciated young actress of our time and I'm completely in love with her nose...;) Goran Visnjic (TV's E.R.) has a small but poignant role as Plummer's young gay lover- the actor who once played "Spartacus" shows exceptional range here.
The flashback-heavy film is a timeline jumper- that might throw some viewers off though I felt Writer/Director Mike Mills pulls it off with a fresh, natural flow that consistently surprises. The editing and cinematography, although the latter is mostly relegated to the actors and indoor scenes, is first-rate for such a smaller-budgeted release. I don't believe it's possible to get through this film without several snippets of dialogue sticking with you... even what the dog has to say is memorable.
For the open-minded only- 9.0 outta 10
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