Beginners
Year | 2011 |
Starring | Christopher Plummer, Ewan McGregor, Melanie Laurent |
Director(s) | Mike Mills |
Rating | R |
Genre(s) | Drama |
Runtime | 104 min |
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 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.
Sample Discussion Guide Questions
The film addresses the personal relationship between Oliver and Hal, and references the larger historical and social context in which they grew up. In what ways does the larger context make the whole story more universal, in contrast to the intimate portrait of these two people?
After his mother died, Oliver faced an emotional situation. He had lost his mother, and had now lost his “old” father, as Hal began to live a new life. How did Oliver cope with the situation? How do you think you might cope with a similar situation?