He is a wise man who may or may not understand how selfish he was, but is intent on showing Oliver that it's never to late to be a "beginner" in love. He portrays an elderly gay man with grace and then takes it to another level in his "sick" scenes. To me, the heart of the film is Christopher Plummer's performance. His defenses are up! Melanie Laurent was my favorite part of Inglourious Basterds (she was the cinema owner on a mission) and here she offers both hopefulness and melancholy. Ewan McGregor plays his part very close to the vest and conveys the pain and uncertainty that Oliver has learned over the years. Nothing even comes close to looking like a Hollywood set. It seems to be naturally lighted from windows and interior sconces. The look and pace of the film is meticulous and steady given the material.
The houses of both Hal and Oliver are full of as much personality as either of the characters. There are many elements of this film that I really like. Arthur takes a great deal of the heaviness away.
including Arthur, Hal's Jack Terrier, who speaking through subtitles, lets us know when things are OK or not. Things begin to shift for him when, dressed as Freud, his party sofa becomes occupied by Anna - a beautiful, alluring French actress who, it turns out, is just as messed up emotionally as is Oliver. The scenes from Oliver's childhood provide crucial evidence on why he is so solemn and afraid of relationships. This begins the second major secret of his life. And just when he admits to joy, inoperable cancer is discovered in Hal's lungs. He thoroughly enjoys himself and even meets a new, younger lover. Once he proclaims his gayness, Hal jumps in with both feet to all causes gay. It turns out Hal knew he was gay prior to marrying Oliver's mother, but claims she promised to "fix" him. While that may sound like a simple set-up, I assure you that the complications created by these characters is both realistic and head-spinning. The third period has Oliver trying to forge a relationship with Anna (Melanie Laurent) whom he met at a costume party. Another period shows Oliver's father Hal (Christopher Plummer) confessing to him that he is gay (this is a few months after the mother/wife dies).
One period shows us Oliver (Ewan McGregor) as a young kid interacting with his mother (Mary Page Keller).
Three time periods are presented in overlapping form to an effective end. When I say little movie, I mean intimate and poignant with a nominal budget.
Mike Mills is responsible and he was also the writer and director on another excellent little movie from about 5 years ago called Thumbsucker. This is a terrific little art-house character study with comedic elements, fine acting and superb writing.