Begin Again. Beginning again? Messing up and starting over? I could never quite grasp what this film may be about even for the first quarter from the start. Jumping into a movie without any background information is always an exciting thing, and whether this was the reason or not, Begin Again surprised me on many different levels. First the music. Being completely unaware of the movie I was stepping into, the immense amount of singing and the load of beautiful music was definitely a sight-stealer. The representing track, Lost Stars, recorded an all-time-high in charts worldwide ̶ proving the impact of the synergy that can be made through placing a song in the right place in a movie. Another impressive factor of this film was (although it may sound obvious) the casting. Like any other megaproduction, the main promotion technique of this movie was parading the “amazing and famous!” cast; but Begin Again has had more advantages it from it than ever.

 

However, the lack of certain parts leaves some to be desired from the overall storyline. As the film focuses on using an everyday-life story to identify with the audience, the general theme couldn’t help but be slightly cliché. The characterization of the “guy who changes because of stardom” or the “guy who is on his own because the mainstream industry doesn’t accept him” seems a bit overused as well. In contrast details; like the way they produced the album in the film, or the way the male and female characters weren’t in a romantic relationship was smooth and well developed.

 

Overall the movie is a nice, light but heavy that gives us both a sense of joy and an opportunity to look back on our own lives.
Along with being an explicit example of the role music can play in a movie.

 

 

By Eun-Jee Kim (DG reporter)