Powerful and Uplifting,

Rating: 8/10 (2 May 2016)

Shine is a great movie with a very well developed storyline and a stellar cast. It's an uplifting story about a talented pianist who lost it all after suffering for an extreme mental breakdown, it's really inspiring to see someone get back on their feet and become a better person than they ever were before, it makes you feel confident about yourself, and what you have achieved, I love a movie that can do that to their audience. I did feel there were far too many piano sequences, it was certainly necessary to show David playing, but we did not need that much long takes, they are powerful at first, tiresome after a while. The cast is magnificent, Geoffrey Rush shines, as he always does, delivering a well deserved Oscar winning performance, his best scenes are with Armin Mueller-Stahl, the chemistry between them is very strong, bringing great passion to their roles. An engaging, uplifting story, Shine is a winner and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good drama or biography film.
A gifted pianist suffers a mental breakdown that derails his career.
Best Performance: Geoffrey Rush