The Comox Valley Art Gallery has finally had the first film of the Fall 2011 Film Series confirmed.
This Sunday, CVAG will screen the comedy/drama Beginners.
An audience favourite at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival, Beginners is a moving and oftentimes hilarious portrait of family, love, loss, and self-discovery. After the critical success of his first feature, Thumbsucker, director Mike Mills returns at the top of his game crafting a dynamic and emotional mood piece that balances humour, sorrow, and romance with aplomb.
Beginners deftly juggles two chronologies to tell the heartwarming story of two major points in the life of Oliver (Ewan McGregor, Ghost Writer), a talented illustrator.
One timeline follows the slow-burning deterioration of Oliver’s father (Christopher Plummer, The Last Station) who is dying of cancer. The other timeline takes place following his father’s death, when a bereaved Oliver becomes somewhat of a shut-in while trying to maintain a relationship with a young actress (Mélanie Laurent, Inglourious Basterds).
The twin narratives gradually reveal subtle associations about how Oliver reacts to both these unpredictable relationships, and how his father and girlfriend motivate him to surpass his self-prescribed limitations.
McGregor and Laurent have natural onscreen chemistry, and Plummer is outstanding in his rich portrayal of a dying man who is finally able to live honestly. The ensemble cast lends the film a warm, understated aura that never feels the least bit contrived.
Tickets are $11 each, available at the CVAG Gift Shop, 580 Duncan Ave, Courtenay and will also be available at the door (in the Rialto lobby, cash only, exact change appreciated).
Beginners will be shown this Sunday at 5 p.m. at the Rialto Theatre at 2665 Cliffe Ave. in Courtenay at Driftwood Mall.
For more information, call 250-338-6211 or visit www.comoxvalleyartgallery.com for a complete listing of films in the CVAG Fall 2011 Film Series.
— Comox Valley Art Gallery