(Throughout the film, scenes of Oliver Fields' memories of his deceased parents are intercut, as flashbacks, into the narrative of his developing relationship with Anna Wallace.)

He saw a psychiatrist for a time and they were married until her death, but they always had a fairly cool relationship, and Oliver recalls his childhood with an unfulfilled, but loving, Georgia, while Hal, a museum director, was often absent, both physically and emotionally.

Things become awkward between them, as neither knows how to build a life with someone else, and, after a short time, Oliver says living together does not feel right, and Anna decides to move back to New York City.

[6] In Oliver's dining room, there is a poster for Siedem Razy Kobieta, the Polish name of the 1967 Shirley MacLaine film Woman Times Seven.

[8] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four, writing: "It's a hopeful fable with deep optimism and a cheerful style that kids itself.

The great Plummer, meanwhile, creates an inspiring, fully rounded man in late bloom, and McGregor responds with a performance to match.

"[5] Diego Costa of Slant Magazine said: "One of the most distinct pleasures of Beginners is the way it puts together fragments of someone's life — presumably the filmmaker's, although little does it matter — with humility, and without vying for some complete whole.

[13] Plummer also won Best Supporting Male at the Independent Spirit Awards, and the film was nominated for Best Feature, Best Director, and Best Screenplay at that event.