Sttanight at 21.10 on Iris goes on air The goldfinch. The film, directed by John Crowley, based on from Donna Tartt’s novel of the same name winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 2013, which quickly became a bestseller, with over 3 million copies sold. In the cast, in addition to the protagonist Ansel Elgort, they recite Nicole Kidman, Jeffrey Wright, Sarah Paulson and Luke Wilson.
The goldfinchthe plot of the movie
***Attention the history of the Goldfinch it’s long and full of twists and reading the plot might take some surprises away!
Theodore Decker (Ansel Elgort) is thirteen years old and lives in New York. His life takes a serious jolt when he is involved in a terrorist attack together with his motherwho dies in the explosion at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
From that moment it will be devoured by guilt: that day they had been summoned by the school principal because Theo had been caught smoking. The museum was only supposed to be an intermediate stop, because they were early.
Because the father had it abandoned, having no other relatives that they can take care of him, Theo is forced to moving into his friend Andy Barbour’s (Ryan Foust) house. The day before moving, he hides the painting he stole after the museum explosion, what his mom was admiring before she died. AND The Goldfinchone of the few works left in circulation by the painter Carel Fabritius.
Once he arrives at the Barbour house, he establishes a good relationship with Samantha (Nicole Kidman), Andy’s mother, who encourages him to cultivate his interest in antiques and art. Over time, Samantha notices that Theo always wears an engraved ring and goes to the antique shop where it was purchased.
Here meets James Hobart known as Hobie (Jeffrey Wright), colleague of Welty Blackwell (Robert Joy), who died in the attack. Welty had given Theo the ring before he died and he was supposed to return it. To the however, there was also Pippa (Ashleigh Cummings), Welty’s niece, who suffered serious injuries and who now lives with Hobie. When Theo visits her the two become friends. Meanwhile, he also establishes a good relationship with Hobie, who will become his point of reference.
Nicole Kidman and Ansel Elgort in a scene from the film.
The return of Larry, Theo’s father
Some time later, the Barbours consider Theo as a son and, at Andy’s request, consider adopting him. The twist is around the corner. His father, Larry (Luke Wilson), a former alcoholic, returns to the boy’s life and decides to take Theo with him and his fiancée, Sandra (Sarah Paulson), to Las Vegas. Theo can’t hold back and has to follow his father, also secretly taking with him The Goldfinch.
Once you arrive in Sin City, befriends Boris Pavlikovsky (Finn Wolfhard, Aneurin Barnard), an immigrant boy from Ukraine. They have a difficult past in common: even Boris has lost his mother and has no relationship with his father. They force each other and soon Boris drags Theo into a spiral of alcohol and drugs.
Meanwhile, Larry is a gambler and to settle the debts he tries to appropriate the fund registered to Theo. Failing to do so, he gets drunk and dies in a car accident. Theo does not suffer from the death of his father, but he is afraid that Sandra will put him into foster care. He then decides to run away, asking Boris to go with him. However, his friend tells him that he will join him later.
alone again, returns to New York and moves in with Hobie.
“The Goldfinch”, Nicole Kidman and Ansel Elgort.
Theo has grown up
Eight years go by. Theo deals in antiques, mostly repairing and selling things with Hobie. One day he meets Andy’s brother Platt Barbour (Luke Kleintank) who reveals that his father was bipolar and that he and Andy died in a boating accident. Hearing the news Theo goes to see Samantha, now ill, and also finds the little Barbour house, Kitsey (Willa Fitzgerald)now grown up.
Theo’s life becomes even more complicated. An art dealer thinks he is in possession of the Fabritius painting and has pledged it to some criminals in Miami for money. After the initial fear, he calms down because he is certain that the painting is kept in a locker.
While in, gets engaged to Kitsey, despite being in love with Pippa, who moved to London. And even when she catches Kitsey cheating on him, he doesn’t leave her because of her gratitude and affection for her towards her Samantha Barbour. Furthermore, she leaves him complete freedom, including that of taking drugs.
The goldfinchthe ending of the film (spoilers)
The past comes knocking again when Theo, looking for a place to buy drugs, enters in a bar and sees Boris againwho hastens to apologize for having stolen the precious painting from him. Theo flashes and remembers showing him the Goldfinch while under the influence of drugs. And he understands that it was Boris who used him to get money from the underworld. However, Boris confesses that the painting was stolen from him by some thugs. The pain is so great that Theo runs away.
The two meet later, at Theo’s engagement party with Kitsey. Boris reveals to him that he has devised a plan to recover the painting…
The two they go to Amsterdam, where Theo poses as a wealthy businessman interested in the painting. However, things don’t go as they hoped. Boris is wounded in a firefight, Theo kills the attacker, but loses the painting.
He returned to the hotel and, in desperation, attempted suicide. To save him is Boris, who tells him good news: he has given the police useful information to recover the work that will finally return to a museum. So the two friends make up once and for all and Theo feels relief for the return of the Goldfinch.
The transposition of the novel
Quite faithful to the tome from 896 pages by Donna Tarrt, an engaging novel following a broken life, the film lacks the depth and melancholy that the writer’s pen can instill in Theo’s life. In wanting to respect the detailed sequence of all events, the director makes few choices and the result is a bit flat.
To see if you have read the book to relive the atmosphere and for the excellent actors.
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