Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
Oliver meets the irreverent and unpredictable Anna only months after his father Hal Fields has passed away. This new love floods Oliver with memories of his father, who, following the death of his wife of 44 years, came out of the closet at age 75 to live a full, energized, and wonderfully tumultuous gay life – which included a younger boyfriend.
Beginners is a quietly distinctive film distinguished by Mike Mills' semi-autobiographical, non-linear storytelling and its deeply personal emotional honesty. Christopher Plummer's Oscar-winning turn as Hal is genuinely exceptional — warm, funny, and heartbreaking — while Ewan McGregor and Mélanie Laurent provide strong, understated support. The film's novelty lies in its unusual structure and the rare, tender specificity of its portrayal of late-life coming out alongside a son's romantic grief. Cinematography is understated and tasteful rather than visually striking. The plot is emotionally resonant but deliberately diffuse, and the ending, while thematically coherent, resolves quietly without fully landing its emotional punch.