“The Goldfinch” is a film adaptation of the novel by the same name written by Donna Tartt, which is incredibly beautiful and woefully long. A unique coming-of-age tale that chronicles the life of a boy named Theodore Decker (Oakes Fegley, “Pete’s Dragon”), who is subjected to a terrorist attack at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that ends up killing his mother. In the aftermath of the attack, Theo is given a ring by a man present at the museum and is delivered a chilling message. Following the attack, Theo lives with a friend from school, whose wealthy family takes him in and whose mother (Nicole Kidman, “Big Little Lies”) forms a bond with him over their shared appreciation for art and antiques.
Soon after, he is invited on vacation with the family, however, his recently detoxed father (Luke Wilson, “The Royal Tenenbaums”) and his extravagant girlfriend (Sarah Paulson, “Bird Box”) arrive to take Theo away to Nevada where he will live with them. While there Theo begins to experiment with drugs with a new friend (Finn Wolfhard, “Stranger Things”) and the usage becomes a focal point throughout the entirety of the film.
Directed by John Crowley (“True Detective”) with cinematography from Roger Deakins (“Blade Runner 2049”), “The Goldfinch” is truly one of the most beautifully shot movies of 2019, with Deakins delivering yet another masterful performance which brings this movie to heights its story just never could. The color palette used through this film is blended wonderfully with the tone, with every scene being so captivatingly shot that at times audiences just have to sit back and marvel at what Deakins has done yet again.
With music provided by Trevor Gureckis (“Bloodline”), the elegance of this film was definitely not an afterthought, seeing as though the score will leave you weighed down from the emotion behind every note.
Ansel Elgort (“Billionaire Boys Club”) gave the best possible performance he could with the material provided from the time he is dropped into the film as an older Theodore. Kidman and Wilson also give strong performances with Kidman, as usual, playing wealth like no other actor could ever fantasize. Wolfhard’s accent is quite distracting at first but his overall performance is commendable when taken into account that he is in fact, not a Ukrainian immigrant. Strong performances are also given by Jeffery Wright (“The Laundromat”) and Fegley.
As a whole, “The Goldfinch,” despite its sleek elegance, breathtaking cinematography and enthralling editing is still a movie that runs a little too long, yet still leaves a little on the table. Seeing as it is an adaption of a novel, it becomes a bit more understandable as to why it feels rushed at times, having to fit 784 pages into about two hours. With that being said, the writing is not spared in the matter’s exposition, hasty dialogue and a clunky climax.
The writers capture many of the turning points of Theos life with an experienced touch, gracefully capturing the struggle of losing a parent to a horrifying tragedy, growing up and rebelling against what you were taught and the complications of being in love with the right person at the wrong time.
Audiences who enjoy art and more so, filmmakers who appreciate art, will enjoy this film; with Oscar-worthy work from Roger Deakins and Ansel Elgort dressed in expensive suits, waltzing around New York City in all of its glory.
Image from Warner Bros. Pictures via Youtube
