Begin Again, starring Keira Knightley and, Mark Ruffalo, and Adam Levine, transports you to a place where the ugliness of personal mistakes takes a back seat. At the same time, you become a participant in the artist's musical life. The music is the focus; the characters follow, and everything works.
If along with realism, music and art, you intimately understand the hidden mystique of a city, you'll feel even more from this movieThe story centers around the once Grammy Award-winning success of Dan Mulligan. Still, currently, down-on-his-luck character Dan Mulligan, played by Ruffalo, meets a recently heartbroken yet fiercely independent singer-songwriter, Gretta James, played by Knightley. They decided to make an outdoor album with each song performed in different locations of New York City, making this the energy that fuels the music. The city's heart automatically beats with the music, and although the city isn't directly a dramatized focal point, its pulsating imperfections connect every aspect to the characters.
If you're drawn to movies that depict the intimate flaws of people but can still manage to ooze beauty via the complex backdrop of urban life and the souls within, this one wins.
Some Movie Facts:
- Begin Again premiered in September 2013 at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)
- Keira Knightley learned to sing and play guitar for the movie
- The song 'Lost Stars' was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song
- Fans of The Voice will remember Adam Levine performing Lost Stars with Season 7 finale contestant Matt McAndrew
- The soundtrack for the movie
was released in June 2014, with most of the songs performed by Knightley and Levine.
Personally Speaking, Begin Again is among my top ten all-time favorite movies. Mark Ruffalo's character is powerful; he is also one of my famous actors... and I also appreciate what he stands for off-screen.
by Barbara Tremblay Cipak
Drageda.com