A film of elegant small moments and complex, bittersweet motivations.
Shine
✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ Read critic reviews
Australia · 1996
Rated PG-13 · 1h 45m
Director Scott Hicks
Starring Geoffrey Rush, Noah Taylor, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Justin Braine
Genre Drama
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A biographical look at pianist David Helfgott who was driven to a mental breakdown by his teachers and abusive father. Years later he returns to broader society, but can he find success and inspiration through the piano once again?
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What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
Thanks to fine acting and its vividly unconventional protagonist, it pumps fresh blood into a conventional formula.
Washington Post by Desson Thomson
The movie does what any great musician should: It lifts an idea to the heights of ecstasy; it sells its song.
It's a film which aims to persuade us of its truth without props or signposts--and it does so with unforgettable beauty.
TV Guide Magazine by Frank Lovece
Feel-good tone notwithstanding (and creepy to boot), there are nagging riddles about the Helfgott story that the film has neither the nerve nor the sense to tackle.
New York Daily News by Jami Bernard
A sublimely uplifting movie.
Memorable, deeply affecting movie.
Entertainment Weekly by Lisa Schwarzbaum
Shine beams with warmth, sensitivity, and fine taste.
USA Today by Staff [Not Credited]
Shine has a story to reckon with and powerhouse male performances.
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