A calculated, slow moving and character driven piece.  The kind of style that you generally associate with European films.  Not much of a story, but plenty of good acting.  In this part of the world we categorize this type of film almost derivatively as art house.  Well, in this case I think we got the art part correct.

The year is 2003 and 38-year-old Oliver has just lost his father to cancer a few months ago.  His mother had passed away five years previous.  Oliver works as a graphic designer and is not very good with people.  Quiet and sullen he doesn’t do well in romantic relationships.  Usually he leaves them.  This is due to the fact that he grew up watching his parents’ passionless marriage and now fears all relationships up this way.

Meeting her at a Halloween party, Oliver has begun a relationship with budding French actress Anna (Melanie Laurent - The Concert, Inglorious Basterds).  Besides Oliver’s reticent nature the couple faces the problem of Anna living a very mobile life in which she is always moving around.  Oliver has built many barriers around himself in order that he not get hurt, but all they seem to have done is stop him from loving and being loved.

At age 75, Hal (Christopher Plummer - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, The Sound of Music) tells his son Oliver (Ewan McGregor - Moulin Rouge, The Island) that he is gay.  That he has always been gay and that his marriage to Oliver’s mother (Mary Page Keller - The Negotiator) was one of convenience.  After coming out to his son Hal changes completely.  He begins living life to the fullest and even embarks on a relationship with the much younger Andy (Goran Visnjic - from television’s ER).  Hal has recently been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.  Despite this terminal diagnosis, Hal doesn’t tell Andy and continues living his life.  He becomes immersed in the gay community, throws many parties and generally lives life to its fullest.  Father and son become closer than ever.

Loosely based on director Mike Mills’s (Thumbsucker) own life, the film is about father-son relationships, emotional repression, love, and new beginnings.  It is a story that is not told in a linear fashion, which might annoy some.  Flashing forwards and backwards, we get our information in dribs and drabs.

All the actors do a wonderful job.  McGregor is understated in his excellence with all his muted and hound dog looks.  He skilfully and deftly conveys the pain and hesitancy to get into a relationship of his character.  The wonderful Christopher Plummer is the center of the film that everyone else revolves around.  His character’s dignity and wisdom is something that he brings to life through his mature and skilful portrayal of a man who finally “wakes” up to life at the age of 75.  The revelation for me was French actress Melanie Laurent.  She is a breath of fresh air.  The character she creates is both filled with hope and yet sad at the same time.  Keeping those two particular balls in the air is something not every actress can do and she accomplishes it with an ease and naturalism.

Funny, sexy and sad.  All the emotions that we all feel at different points in our lives.  We are invited to feel them right alongside the characters making the viewer totally immersed, invested and involved in what is transpiring onscreen.  The wonderful part is that you’ll barely notice that you are being sucked in to what is happening as it happens so naturally.  Just like what is going on in the film.  Natural, but complex just like real life.