A child prodigy, he struggles with an abusive, controlling father and mental illness problems that are presumably not unrelated to his difficult family life.
We see him as a boy (played by Alex Rafalowicz), a teenager (Noah Taylor) and as an older man (Geoffrey Rush). Each of these three actors tackles a complicated role brilliantly.
John Gielgud is funny and charismatic as his London tutor, guiding him through the seemingly impossible feat that is playing Rachmaninoff’s third concerto.
For a film about mental illness, it’s surprisingly uplifting and joyous – especially after he meets Gillian, played by Lynn Redgrave. If there’s a criticism it’s that this later part of his life is rushed through. A shame that the focus is on the unhappier times, although you can understand why his formative experiences would be prioritised. Plus, this is a pitfall of biopics in general: how do you cram a life into two hours without ignoring substantial amounts of it?
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