Thoughtful, yet
flawed, The Goldfinch, based on Donna Tartt's novel of the same name,
opens with an explosion that takes the life of Theo Decker's mother while they
are visiting an art exhibit. The explosion sets in motion a series of events
that will take Theo, and the eponymous painting, across borders on a journey
toward freedom, or something even more elusive: being comfortable with our
cages.
Ansel Elgort and
Oakes Fegley play Theo, at different ages, with their own twists on his
vulnerability to great effect. The cast also includes a powerhouse performance
from Nicole Kidman playing Mrs. Barbour who is in many ways a second mother to
Theo. However, in the "Vegas" act of the movie, it is the performances of Finn
Wolfhard as Boris, Luke Wilson as Theo's father, and Sarah Paulson as Xandra
who stand out as thorns in the film's side. The casting
of Stranger Things' Wolfhard as a young
Boris was the breaking point of the film. His accent, though counteracted by a
swaggering confidence, is so atrocious it made me question why the audience
would want to like him at all.
In contrast, the look
of The Goldfinch is one of the film's strengths. The ways in which the
characters are dressed and the way this adaptation of the novel is colored both
come together to create a fresh looking movie. It also captures New York City
in a way that nothing has before. The Goldfinch feels new and yet rustic
as if the film stock itself were antique.
The inconsistency of The
Goldfinch is frustrating to watch in spite of some very interesting ideas. Ultimately, Director John Crowley makes a valiant
effort, but by the end we're left wondering why we don't feel the payoff the
film is trying to achieve.
