we share the descent into darkness of a talented boy pianist .
years later we see his subsequent resurfacing ; in the mid 80 's a damaged man walks out of a rainstorm and back into the world .
the movie charts the causes of his mental breakdown .
based on the life story of david helfgott , this australian film is a rich exploration of the pressures drilling in upon a child - genius , compounded by the looming shadow of a domineering father .
in the 1950 's helfgott emerged as a child prodigy .
the film traces his relationship with his father , whose encouragement comes at the cost of demanding david have no life beyond that of the black and white keys .
david is offered places in the usa , but his father refuses to let him leave australia .
the effect this has upon helfgott is cleverly told via a single reverse tracked shot ; david is sobbing on the front doorway of his music teacher 's house .
he is well lit via the external house lights .
his teacher is n't home .
we pull back and see that the dark front room 's window has it 's curtains open .
there , in a pool of blackness , is a grand piano .
david 's fall over the dark cliff has begun .
instead of being told in a linear mode , shine jumps around in time , ala " pulp fiction " .
this narrative device works well ; we see david as a boy , teenager in london and mental - patient in various snippets .
the film then neatly loops back for its uplifting conclusion .
adult - helfgott 's return to the light is told in linear fashion .
the lead role is played by 3 different actors , with the teenage - david ( taylor ) and adult - david ( rush ) standing out
.
whilst rush is known for his tv work in australia , i think this is his first major cinema work .
his david , whilst clearly damaged - he keeps quoting his " daddy " in a babbling word torrent , cuddles strangers and grabs women on the breasts - is both touching and funny .
taylor 's teenage - david is the more sympathy producing role .
we are mute witness to his gradual breakdown as the pressures just keep on building .
his father wants him to play the very demanding rachmaninov 's 3rd , whilst his teacher wants to start him with a simple mozart .
technically this is a beautiful film and a lot of thought has gone in to the production .
i particularly like the use of slow motion and sound effects .
one scene has adult - helfgott happily babbling in a car in the rain .
the sound of the windshield wipers fades up over his voice . with a clever subtlety , the wiper sound appears to morph into a rhythmic thumping , but of the same beat .
the image dissolves and we realise the thumping is the slow motion applause of a crowd .
but it 's us being clapped .
we are young - david walking up to the stage for our first public show .
the music , as you would expect from a film of this subject matter , is critical .
and it works very well .
the ' miming ' of the actors piano playing is faultless
( apparently rush did n't mime ; he really did play ) helfgott 's life is certainly not without it 's sympathetic people .
indeed his return to the ' normal ' world is accelerated by his chance meetings with two very special women .
his ultimately uplifting story is a magic piece of theatre craft .
it shows that with the ' help of god ' we can all find our way back home .
faultless a magic piece of theatre craft this is a beautiful film and a lot of thought has gone in to the production standing out i particularly like it works very well both touching and funny with a clever subtlety