A Late Quartet (2012)

Directed by: Yaron Zilberman
Starring: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Christopher Walken, Catherine Keener, Mark Ivanir, Imogen Poots, Wallace Shawn

The Quartet, Mark Ivanir, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Christopher Walken, Catherine Keener. Source: Filmofilia

Set in New York City, A Late Quartet follows 4 musicians as they celebrate their 25^th anniversary as a world class string quartet. When Peter (Christopher Walken) discovers he is in the early stages of Parkinson’s, he and the quartet must come to the reality that it may be time to find a replacement. The group begins to fall apart as jealousy arises between Robert (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Daniel (Mark Ivanir).  When Juliette (Catherine Keener) begins to support former flame Daniel over husband Robert, things begin to heat up for the married couple. Add in Alex (Imogen Poots), Juliette and Robert’s talented daughter, who develops an attraction to her violin instructor Daniel….we got us a juicy story line.

First off, I must give 10 rounds of applause to the cast for putting hours into violin, viola and cello lessons (and to director Yaron Zilberman for demanding it). Their ability to mime the instrument playing was so crucial to the flow of the film and to let audiences get past the technicality in order to fully absorb themselves in a pool of emotions.

The romantic plot lines are secondary to what is the main focal point of the film – Peter coming to terms with Parkinson’s and accepting his soon-to-be new life without the quartet. Being the eldest member of the group, he knew he was going to burn out quicker than his friends – but no one will ever be ready to give up their hobby, passion, and ultimately, life. The devastating thought of being unable to play at the world class level he’s been at for more than half his life is heartbreaking. Walken delivers an A-grade empathetic performance that is real and honest. The direction that Zilberman took with this plot line is amazing, with reminiscence being one of the key ideas. It’s easy to reminisce back to the glory days at Peter’s age and situation. We see him getting in touch with his own glory days through memories of his late wife, which easily leads himself to believe that there is a lot of energy and power left in him to burn. He tries to hold on to give a final performance and retire at the quartet’s 25^th anniversary concert.

For those unfamiliar with string orchestra, the first violinist is often viewed as the “elite” with the second violin lagging behind in its shadow. As the group begins to accept Peter leaving the quartet, second violinist Robert yearns for change: to share first violin. Daniel strongly opposes, which leads to a mountain of issues that resemble a soap opera. I understand that the screenwriters wanted to portray very real issues that can occur at this point in life, but they may have been too ambitious. The story with Peter and Parkinson’s is so powerful and believable that the forbidden love between Daniel and Alex just seems silly. The infidelity from Robert comes after an argument that sees Juliette being unsupportive of his dream to play first violin. Of course, he sees this as a result of Juliette only settling for him because she couldn't have Daniel. Juliette later on admits her uncertainty of her love for him. The exchange of emotions here is unbelievable but you can never expect any less from talents like Hoffman and Keener. Due to their extensive travelling for worldwide performances, Alex is filled with angst against her parents (Juliette and Robert) for never being there as parental figures. See what I mean about being a bit ambitious?

 

On the other hand, I also see this mountain of love, angst, lust, infidelity as a build-up into the last and final scene – the 25^th anniversary concert. Going into this scene, we don’t necessarily have all the loose ends tied up between the quartet members. Juliette and Robert still have marriage problems and Daniel is still at odds with the couple for having a relationship with their daughter. But that is real life and problems don’t always get solved with a perfect bow. They all manage to sit down for Peter and for a beautiful final farewell performance with all 4 original members of the quartet. 

The final scene is beautiful and moving as Peter comes to accept that life moves on with or without you. It’s difficult to describe and I can only urge everyone to watch this film. The music is beautiful and portrays the world of classical music wonderfully.

This is director Yaron Zilberman’s first major movie and it is impressive. There was a great balance between character development and plot driven scenes. A Late Quartet is an emotional rollercoaster ride that will leave you in tears. Walken’s performance alone is enough to give the film a try.

Rating: 8 /10