The Goldfinch 2019

The story of a stolen life

7.173 / 10   822 vote(s)
R
Drama

A boy in New York is taken in by a wealthy family after his mother is killed in a bombing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In a rush of panic, he steals 'The Goldfinch', a painting that eventually draws him into a world of crime.

Homepage https://www.warnerbros.com/movies/goldfinch/
Release Date 2019-09-12
Runtime 2h 29m
Directors John Crowley, Roger Deakins, Deborah Jensen, Maceo Bishop
Producers Nina Jacobson, Erwin Godschalk, Maarten Swart, Brad Simpson, Mari-Jo Winkler, Margaret Chernin, Sue Kroll, Kevin McCormick, Courtenay Valenti, Parker Chehak
Writers Donna Tartt, Peter Straughan

This movie apparently had a firestorm of mixed reviews and comparisons to the Pulitzer Prize winnings book swirling around it - and I missed it all. Thankfully.

I enjoyed the movie, though it wouldn’t make a list of my favorites. It is told by jumping forward and backward in time, which allows filmmakers to withhold key or dramatic details of the plot as long as possible. This seemed stunning and revolutionary way back when I watched Pulp Fiction, but now of course a lot of movies play with event sequencing. (I suppose one of the foreshadowing of this technique was Citizen Kane, like, what the hell does Rosebud mean?)

So I am comfortable knowing that some things may take a while to make sense. This movie is all over the place: geographically and plot-wise, but I was fine with it. Sometimes I like a movie that dares me to pay attention.

Given the hysterical nature of some of the negative reviews, I feel I might want to read the novel, but I understand it is rather long, and so is my reading list!

I would say that if you aren’t a person who hates movies made from your favorite books, give this one a watch - just let it wash over you. My final comment is: I really like the Boris character, who drops into the action a couple of times. Where is his movie? Hmm, maybe he shows up more in the book. Sigh, okay, it goes onto my reading list.

Peter McGinn