Beautiful

Rating: 10/10 (1 July 2003)

What a fantastic movie. Stephen Daldry's first film is charming, funny at times, dramatic, tragic, and in the end, brilliant. Jamie Bell leads a strong cast, all giving affecting and moving performances, and delivers an excellent script by Lee Hall. What i loved best about the movie was the bittersweet quality to it, an element that really brought the film to life, as well as bringing the viewer closer to the characters. This is a movie that has stayed with me since watching it, not necessarily for depth of storyline or complexity(the story was fairly simple, yet moving) or even because of the moral of the story(which never really affected me, to tell you the truth), but because it was different, it was uplifting, and the characters, just to be frank, grow on you. There are some very memorable
scenes, and one in particular aroused in me the most intense feelings of tension i've felt from a film in a long time: the audition, and that's just one of quite a few. Overall, a sensational film that will stay with you. Go Billy!