Begin Again
Autumn 2014 Features series
Sunday, September 21, 2014 at 4:00pm
Sunday, September 21, 2014 at 7:00pm
Acadia Cinema's Al Whittle Theatre
450 Main Street, Wolfville, NS
Directed by John Carney
Screenplay by John Carney
Starring Adam Levine, Mark Ruffalo, and Keira Knightley
Rated 14A ·
1h 44m
Begin Again
The latest film from writer-director John Carney (Once), Begin Again is a soul-stirring comedy about what happens when lost souls meet and make beautiful music together. Gretta (Keira Knightley, Anna Karenina, Atonement) and her long-time boyfriend Dave (Adam Levine) are college sweethearts and songwriting partners who decamp for New York when he lands a deal with a major label. But the trappings of his new-found fame soon tempt Dave to stray, and a reeling, lovelorn Gretta is left on her own.
Her world takes a turn for the better when Dan (Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right, The Brothers Bloom), a disgraced record-label exec, stumbles upon her performing on an East Village stage and is immediately captivated by her raw talent. From this chance encounter emerges an enchanting portrait of a mutually transformative collaboration, set to the soundtrack of a summer in New York City.
“This may be the most winning performance I’ve seen Keira Knightley give… in this film, she’s so warm and funny and unafraid to wear her emotions on her sleeve… and most of all, she can sing. She performs several songs in the movie, and she’s lovely. She seems to come alive in those songs in a way I’ve never seen from her before.” (Drew McWeeny, HitFix)
“The sum total is a film with great music, a great story and a great vibe in general―not to mention those Carney-crafted moments, built around joy, possibility and self-transformation. In other words: Carney has given us another pearl.” (Mike Scott, New Orleans Times-Picayune)
“What makes it special is that it’s not another romance about finding a man. It’s about finding your people, about being a bit lost in your twenties and not knowing who you are or what you want to be. And it’s got bucketfuls of charm.” (Cath Clarke, Time Out London)
“Begin Again is a joyous movie about the good things in life: love, family, relationships, New York, creativity and music. And Knightley and Ruffalo make for one of the most unusual engaging couples of the year.” (Ian Freer, Empire)