This beautiful and melancholic film was a wonderful movie-going experience and I can't recommend it highly enough.
It deals with various things such as love, death, fear and, ultimately, new beginnings: for the father, a closeted gay coming out at age 75; for his boyfriend, several years his junior; for the son, dealing with death, confusion and a new relationship, and for everyone else involved, all of whom will have to get through the grief and the losses and find the inner strength to start anew. The question is: Will they?
Although melancholic in its mood, the film is filled with bittersweet humor, underlying optimism and the hope for something better. It is, however, not for everyone. Some will find it boring, some will find it slow. But that's just because the filmmaker takes his time to draw us in and experience what the characters are going through. Life doesn't happen in a flash it happens slowly, moment by moment, as does the film.
The acting is superb, very understated: smiles, looks and gestures say many times more than the dialogue itself, which is very minimalistic at best.
You can read about the plot and the story everywhere online; I wanted to write more about what you're likely to experience if you see it. Don't watch it if you're feeling sad or depressed or if you're not really into slow-building movies. Though it's been labeled a comedy-drama, there are not laugh-out-loud moments here and the comedic elements are mostly present in the form of irony. This is not a joyful film. It's a very introspective and contemplative character study, ultimately optimistic in its outlook, very enjoyable if you are in the right state of mind and worth watching if only for seeing Christopher Plummer and Ewan McGregor (and the Jack Russell dog, "Arthur") give the performances of a lifetime.
It deals with various things such as love, death, fear and, ultimately, new beginnings: for the father, a closeted gay coming out at age 75; for his boyfriend, several years his junior; for the son, dealing with death, confusion and a new relationship, and for everyone else involved, all of whom will have to get through the grief and the losses and find the inner strength to start anew. The question is: Will they?
Although melancholic in its mood, the film is filled with bittersweet humor, underlying optimism and the hope for something better. It is, however, not for everyone. Some will find it boring, some will find it slow. But that's just because the filmmaker takes his time to draw us in and experience what the characters are going through. Life doesn't happen in a flash it happens slowly, moment by moment, as does the film.
The acting is superb, very understated: smiles, looks and gestures say many times more than the dialogue itself, which is very minimalistic at best.
You can read about the plot and the story everywhere online; I wanted to write more about what you're likely to experience if you see it. Don't watch it if you're feeling sad or depressed or if you're not really into slow-building movies. Though it's been labeled a comedy-drama, there are not laugh-out-loud moments here and the comedic elements are mostly present in the form of irony. This is not a joyful film. It's a very introspective and contemplative character study, ultimately optimistic in its outlook, very enjoyable if you are in the right state of mind and worth watching if only for seeing Christopher Plummer and Ewan McGregor (and the Jack Russell dog, "Arthur") give the performances of a lifetime.