Available now on Blu-ray, DVD and on digital, is the drama The Goldfinch.
The film stars Ansel Elgort, Nicole Kidman, Oakes Fegley, Jeffrey Wright, Luke Wilson, Sarah Paulson, and Finn Wolfhard, to name a few.
The Goldfinch is based upon the book by the same name, written by Donna Tartt. The book won a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2014.
I never read the book, nor have I heard of it until this film. I cannot comment on how well the film mirrors the book.
Theodore Decker (played by Fegley and Elgort, as the young and old version, respectively) lives with his mother. His father is not in the picture.
Theo and his mother visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The museum experiences a terrorist attack, and a bomb goes off, killing Theo’s mom and several others. Theo survives.
When Theo awakens in the rubble, he is given a ring by a dying man, and asked to return it to his partner. Theo also takes a valuable painting of a Goldfinch, by artist Carel Fabritius. It was painted in 1654 and features a Goldfinch bird, chained on a perch.
Theo is sent to live with an upper class family, the Barbours – his estranged friend’s family.
Theo grows close to Mrs. Barbours (Kidman), who is supportive of him.
Theo takes the ring given to him by the dying man to the shop run by the man’s partner, Hobie. It just so happened that the dying man’s niece, Pippa, was also at the museum at the time it was bombed. She was not so fortunate, and she ended up in the hospital. Hobie takes Theo to visit her, and the two become friends. Theo also starts to bond with Hobie.
Theo seems to have the best of both worlds. He is cared for by both the Barbours and by Hobie.
Just when things seem to be going well for Theo, his estranged father and his new wife come back into his life and take him away to live with them in Vegas.
Things do not go well for Theo in Vegas. He even gets involved with drugs.
Theo eventually makes his way back to New York City, and under Hobie’s wing, Theo learns to restore antiques.
One day a client accuses Theo of selling him a fake piece of art. He also lets it be known that he believes that Theo has in his possession the missing Goldfinch piece of art. Theo believes the painting is safely tucked away inside a storage locker – or is it?
What is so important significance of that painting for Theo? At what lengths will he go to keep the painting? To find out, you need to purchase or rent The Goldfinch. Look for it wherever movies are sold or rented.
This film has a two and a half hour run time. It was a bit long for my husband, but I was OK with it. My husband can sit through the Godfather films, which are like a million hours long (ha ha), so I don’t know why he said this film dragged on too long. I think he “checked out” about an hour and a half into it, only occasionally peaking up from his phone to see what was going on.
This is a “deep” film. I tend to watch mostly horror films and comedies, but every now and then I can use a film that makes you think. This was such a film.
When the movie was over, I felt “heavy,” like I needed time to process what I just watched. There is a lot going on in this film, and not much of it is happy. If anything, have some tissues handy. You might need them (I did!).
This is not a “family friendly” film. It’s just way too involved and frankly, scary for children. From the bombing to the drug use… this is not a film for kids.
Both Elgort and Fegley did an amazing job as their rendition of Theo. I especially give kudos to Fegley for taking on such a serious part.
I think there are a lot of morals or meanings to this film. One I can think of is that everything happens for a reason, no matter how big or small, and that there are moments in life that can shape our destinies. There are also other “themes” that go throughout this movie like love, compassion, friendship, hope, despair, redemption… so many come to mind. This is the type of film that makes you feel, as well as think.
I did not find an official website for the film, but I did find a Facebook page. I did come across a Twitter account, but I am not sure if it’s the official movie Twitter account.
Here is the film’s trailer for your enjoyment.
Kimberly
*I received a free screener copy to review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.