Let's talk about my favorite film.

Beginners is a semi-autobiographical film written and directed by Mike Mills about love, death, and learning to live in the midst of both of those things. This movie mostly makes me smile, but in between the smiles are quite a few tears and thoughts about my own life, past and present. I think the drawing above (by Mike Mills) is a perfect representation of how we reflect on the past. We've all made mistakes and we mostly blame them on things that have happened to us, instead of self-reflecting. I don't think it matters if we are self-destructive or are targets of destruction, but it's how we get through the destruction and move on that matters. This movie makes me feel better about being a human with flaws.

I don't want to say too much about the plot (just watch the trailer linked above), but I understand that sometimes it takes some goading to get someone to do something. So here are a few of the things that made me love this film:

1. A dog named Arthur that is so sad about the loss of his companion that he feels "the darkness is about to drown [him] unless something drastic happens right now." (which is really the protagonist's projection of his own feelings)
2. A very touching scene that involves a quote from the Velveteen Rabbit (a childhood favorite of mine) that will leave you awestruck by the beauty of this film.
3. Mike Mills' drawings are charming and simple and the way they are used is perfect.
4. The film shifts between three different time periods, which allows Mills to tell a story in a way that represents how we reflect on our memories. If you need chronology, go elsewhere; however, it's really not necessary to tell the stories in this film.

Here's a few more of Mills' drawings from Beginners that I think are a prime representation of the artistic mood of the film that also give insight into the way the main character, Oliver, is feeling throughout.

And if that wasn't enough reason to go watch the movie, you get to look at Ewan McGregor's and Mélanie Laurent's beautiful faces for nearly two hours. There. I'm done.