7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 3.8 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.7 |
Oliver meets the irreverent and unpredictable Anna only months after his father Hal has passed away. This new love floods Oliver with memories of his father who -- following 44 years of marriage -- came out of the closet at age 75 to live a full, energized, and wonderfully tumultuous gay life. The upheavals of Hal's new honesty, by turns funny and moving, brought father and son closer than they'd ever been able to be. Now Oliver endeavors to love Anna with all the bravery, humor, and hope that his father taught him.
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, Mélanie Laurent, Goran Visnjic, Kai LennoxDrama | 100% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Spanish: DTS 5.1
English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
BD-Live
Mobile features
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
No matter how much you prepare for the inevitable, it doesn't make its arrival any easier to bear. Loss aches, and deep loss wounds. We try to grasp at any relief we can find lingering in the subsequent sadness -- the knowledge that a fading friend's suffering has finally come to an end, that their life was full and full of love, that mere memories will sustain us in times of inconsolable loneliness -- but there are some people who are so fundamentally infused in everything we once were, everything we've come to be, and everything we still hope to become that any relief we latch onto seems incapable of providing the solace we so desperately wish it would. It only burns that much more, pierces that much deeper, catches us that much more unaware. Beginners, writer/director Mike Mills' sweetly poignant, refreshingly understated yet at-times infuriatingly elusive semi-autobiographical dramedy, doesn't waste time unfurling or embracing any agenda. It isn't a quote-unquote gay rights film, it doesn't offer much in the way of social commentary, and it doesn't concern itself with the sort of peripheral politicizing most others might. Flawed and uneven as it sometimes is, it's a story of illness and loss, identity and legacy, and the unshakable bond between a father and son. Above all, though, it's a story about bracing for, being shaken by and recovering from the inevitable, and it will disarm anyone who's tasted such bittersweet hardship.
While shot with Red One high definition cameras, natural lighting and emotionally literal photography burden Beginners with a dull, stormy palette and at-times listless indifference. Still, the resulting image lends itself to Mills' tone and autobiographical tale, and imbues Oliver with a sadness that only seems to brighten when Anna or his father are near. It works, I'll admit, even if it makes Universal's 1080p/VC-1 encoded transfer look a little under the weather. Colors are generally weary and washed out (even though a few primaries pop), contrast is a bit lacking, and black levels are muted on the whole. That said, skintones are lovely, reds and yellows have particular warmth, and the image exudes a confidence Mills doesn't express as fully elsewhere. Detail wavers slightly too, but only due to bouts of filmic softness, dim lighting and some loose-focus shots. It boosts Beginners' artistic credibility, sure, but it doesn't always result in the sharpest edges and textures. No matter. Closeups hold their own, object definition is clean and unhindered, and overall clarity and delineation are as revealing as Mills intended. There also isn't any significant artifacting, banding, aliasing, ringing, crush or smearing worth noting. Noise spikes here and there, but always as a product of the source, never the encode. All in all, Beginners' video presentation doesn't make any serious missteps.
Universal's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track isn't going to turn heads either but, like the studio's video transfer, the lossless mix stays true to Mills' every intention and the cautious but kindly tone of the film's sound design. Dialogue is clean, crisp and clear, despite a few thin and lifeless lines. Ambience is minimalistic but believable, and the soundfield is just immersive enough to make Oliver's world more accessible than it might otherwise be. And, of course, with so many hushed conversations, restrained exchanges, and light lilts in Roger Neill, Dave Palmer and Brian Reitzell's buoyant score, LFE output and rear speaker activity is equally minimalistic. Fortunately, it's equally believable. There's little pomp and sonic circumstance to be had in Beginners, you'll get no argument from me. But a subtle track can be just as arresting as a bombastic one when it perfectly complements the image, themes and tone of a film. And Universal's DTS-HD Master Audio offering does just that.
Beginners is warm, moving and intensely personal, but for every refreshing departure it makes, it clings to quirky cinema convention that much more. Thankfully, Mills' story and McGregor and Plummer's performances allow the film to resonate when it could have just as easily languished. The same could be said of Universal's Blu-ray release. Its video transfer and DTS-HD Master Audio track aren't exactly impressive, but they are faithful and perfectly suited to the film they accompany. Most of you will want to rent Beginners before making any serious commitment but, for what it's worth, Mills' off-kilter dramedy earns a slightly reserved recommendation from me.
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