MOVIE REVIEW: Begin Again

SONG 03185.nef

SONG 03185.nef

Published Sep 12, 2014

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TECHNOLOGY and social media in particular have radically altered every aspect of our lives.

More often than not, we are sucked in by this very monster we feed (Henry Alex Rubin’s 2013 sublime offering, Disconnect, served as a prime example of the sinister pitfalls of cyberspace). But there are occasions when having access to the seemingly infinite number of sites at our fingertips – literally! – can put a positive spin on global cultural consumption.

While the short-memory minions credit Beyonce with being the first to buck the trend (following her startling decision last year to quietly release her fifth album via iTunes), Radiohead had already been there, done that with 2007’s In Rainbows, when they bypassed the usual money-grubbing record label route by circulating the album through their website.

Enter Begin Again…

This unexpectedly stirring narrative tells the tale of love and lives lost and regained, sketched within the framework of the hesitant, unassuming world of indie music versus the flashy, rapacious, razzle, dazzle and outdo approach that’s categorised the industry as a whole for decades.

Her untainted talent, wideeyed adoration and boho-chic style position Gretta (Knightley) as the pure personification of the former, while her sleek, perfectly packaged longtime beau and fellow musician, Dave (Levine), serves as the epitome of the latter.

After years of strumming away at their guitars and dreaming of the day their meal ticket comes in, the university sweethearts and singer-songwriter pair leave the rainy drabness of the UK and prepare to take their bite of the Big Apple when Dave hooks a major recording deal.

But before you can say “Bob’s your uncle”, Dave’s sucked in by the sparkly new world that lies prostrate before him and promptly skips off to greener sexual pastures, leaving poor grieving Gretta to lick her love wounds.

Fortunately for her, fellow Brit and struggling muso, Steve (James Corden), is on hand to offer whisky, consolation and a life-changing night out at the local East Village bar-cum-live music venue.

It’s here that Gretta’s “woe is me” existence unexpectedly intertwines with that of the equally wretched Dan (Ruffalo), a downtrodden label exec who immediately recognises her raw gift. So begins a mutually cathartic collaboration set to “the soundtrack of a New York summer”, which simultaneously defies the conventions of the music biz.

It’s an atypical romance-meets-drama (with pockets of comedic relief provided by the well-meaning Corden) of the serendipitous meeting of two people grappling to come to terms with the way their lives have transpired, one essentially told through soulful melodies and poignant lyrics.

Ruffalo offers an earnest performance in this “no sugar- coating” role, which sees him step away from the devoted, cutesy, romcom boyfriend he’s become known for. Knightley, likewise, makes a refreshing departure from her period pieces and precise English elocution – and manages to make it through a movie without pouting!

Unfortunately, the same can’t be said of indie movie stalwart, Catherine Keener, whose brief appearance as Dan’s estranged wife is rather redundant.

Meanwhile, that actual music artists Mos Def and CeeLo Green also pop up as cameo characters is an irony not lost on the savvy viewer.

Needless to say, an appreciation of indie music – particularly of the Imogen Heap/Tegan and Sara persuasion – is a bonus, but by no means a must to fully savour this unpretentious piece, which takes us back to the days when films did what they were meant to: tell a story.

If you liked Once you will most certainly enjoy Begin Again.

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