Produced by:
KBOO
Program::
Air date:
Mon, 06/20/2011 - 12:00am
Movie Moles: The Beginners
In The Beginners Oliver's (Ewan McGregor) father, Hal (Christopher Plummer), has died. Before that Hal came out as gay after his wife of 46 years dies. Through flashbacks we also learn about Oliver's 1950s childhood and his view of his parents' marriage.
Jan and Frann talk about gay families as part of the domestic history of the United States. They question how the film portrays the easiness of coming out today as well as the seeming impossibility of coming out in the 1950s. In particular how Hal's coming out seems so easy precisely because it wasn't impossible for generations before to do it. They also touch on how the film handles the yearning for community in culture of atomic individualism and dealing with death.
- KBOO
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