Beginners

Oliver (Ewan McGregor) is an illustrator with a history of failed relationships. Growing up, he spent much of his time with his eccentric mother, Georgia (Mary Page Keller), while his father, Hal (Christopher Plummer), supported the arts as the curator of a local museum. Though Oliver's parents never divorced, as a young boy he always sensed a distance between them -- a distance, Oliver discovers following his mother's death years later, that resulted from the fact that his father had lived most of his life as a closeted homosexual. With his wife gone and his son grown up, 75-year-old Hal decides to finally embrace his sexuality and takes a young boyfriend (Goran Visnjic). When Hal's health takes a turn for the worse, Oliver steps up to care for him while recalling quiet conversations and eventful trips to the museum with his unpredictable mother -- a dyed-in-the-wool eccentric. Gradually, Oliver begins to see his father in a whole new light. Later, Oliver falls for pretty French actress Anna (Mélanie Laurent) after a chance meeting at a costume party. The more intimate Oliver and Anna become, the more they both realize they share one defining character flaw -- the moment any relationship turns serious, they run away. For Oliver it means shutting himself in and obsessing over his work; for Anna it's as easy as checking into another empty hotel room in yet another strange city -- one of the perks, as it were, of having an itinerant job. After moving in together, the dysfunctional couple realizes that overcoming their hard-wired relationship issues is more difficult than either of them expected.