Director: Yaron Zilberman
Writer: Yaron Zilberman, Seth Grossman (Screenplay) Yaron Zilberman (Story)
Starring: Catherine Keener, Christopher Walken, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Mark Ivanir, Imogen Poots, Madhur Jaffrey
Plot: Members of a world-renowned string quartet struggle to stay together in the face of death, competing egos and insuppressible lust.
Tagline – No arrangement is more beautiful…or more complicated.
Runtime: 1 Hour 45 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Powerful Performances
Story: A Late Quartet starts as we meet the world famous quartet, Juliette (Keener), Peter (Walken), Robert (Hoffman) and Daniel (Lerner) who are planning their next performance, as they like to bring their crowd something new each year.
When Peter is diagnosed with Parkinson’s he is left to make a difficult decision to face retirement, meaning he needs to find a replacement, which sees the rest of the quartet going in search for their own roles in the quartet, while deciding how they can carry on going.
Thoughts on A Late Quartet
Characters – Juliette is married to Robert and while being part of the quartet, she is going through her own problems after Robert cheats on her, she must figure out whether this choice of a musicians was worth it or not, as well as trying to reconnect with her daughter. Robert cheats on his wife Juliette as he must try to make amends of his error, while trying to improve his position within thee quartet. Peter is the one that becomes sick, he is thinking about retirement and while he is getting his treatment, he learns the rest are caught up in the middle of a relationship mess. Daniel is the most talented member of the quartet, he ends up making his own mistake in life which causes even more problems within the quartet.
Performances – We have a stunning cast here with two Oscar winners and another nominee, Keener, Walken, Hoffman all show why they are considered the best of the acting world, while Mark Ivanir and Imogen Poots brings us performances that can keep up with their successful cast mates.
Story – The story here follows one of the most famous quartets in music, they have 25 years of history together, when the oldest member becomes sick, the remaining three must decide whether to find a new member, while dealing with their own personal problems which could bring about the downfall of the quartet. Sure, some of the relationship drama isn’t anything new, but knowing the couple must continue to work together shows how personal and professional lives can easily clash when it comes to being successful in this field. One side of the story we could have seen more from would be the music side.
Settings – The film is set in New York a perfect choice for this quartet to be located and performing in.
Scene of the Movie – The performance.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – We don’t get enough focus on Peter’s illness.
Final Thoughts –This is a wonderfully acted drama that shows the lives of a quartet.
Overall: Beautifully acted drama.
Rating
