Warner Bros. Pictures
The Goldfinch was a film I wanted to see in theaters, but I missed it for reasons I can’t remember. I was curious about this film mostly for Ansel Elgort and the cinematography from Roger Deakins, who makes everyone film look stunning. This is based on a lengthy novel written by Donna Tartt about a young boy whose mother dies during a bombing at an art museum. The tragedy changes the course of his life as he deals with grief and guilt. He holds onto a painting of a small bird that was from the museum during the bombing.
Review
The story at first seemed to be a gripping one involving a young man dealing with the loss of his mother and transitioning into a foster home. There seemed to be some mystery regarding the Goldfinch painting that is hardly explained till about halfway through the film. The story unfortunately is a dull one. Nothing about The Goldfinch is remotely satisfying. The whole movie builds up to its finale, which has no payoff. It is always hard to adapt a story, especially when one is 800 pages long. The film has a great cast including Ansel Elgort, Nicole Kidman, Jeffrey Wright, and Luke Wilson but no one felt connected to the story. Everyone seems to be just moving along with the story with no emotional moments to make the film impactful.
Theodore Decker (Elgort) has lived a hard life dealing with the loss of his mother during a bombing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. He is suffering with guilt and grief and the one thing he holds onto is a painting of a tiny bird on a perch. The film does a lazy job at explaining the importance of the painting which was disappointing since the film’s central focus was the painting and how it affected Theodore’s life.
Video
The Goldfinch looks stunning on Blu-ray. Roger Deakins’ cinematography is beautiful. His work brings perfectly detailed scenes and a lot of texture within small moments of the film. The film is so detailed that you can see the texture of an envelope early in the film, it is that impressive. The color scheme is a bit dimmer than other films, but it still is stunning. Every moment within this movie, from the aftermath of an attack at a museum to Theo at school, looks perfect.
Audio
The Goldfinch is often a quiet film. The dialogue amongst the actors is somber at times and is heard nicely. There aren’t many loud sequences within the movie, besides the bombing, but when they appear, they add a punch. There is also some nicely placed pop music that adds some energy to this depressing film.
Warner Bros. Pictures
Special Features
- The Goldfinch Unbound (12:56) – Members of the cast and crew discuss the process of adapting an 800-page novel as well as the casting process, cinematography, the locations and more.
- The Real Goldfinch (8:39) – This special feature talks about Carel Fabritius’ original painting and where it is currently. Part of the special feature also focuses on how it was reproduced for the film.
- Deleted Scenes (11 deleted scenes, 16:59 total)
Overview
The Goldfinch was a rather disappointing film with stiff acting from everyone involved. The novel is 800 pages long and the film tried to cram a lot in, but it never felt emotional or important. The audio and presentation both sound and look stunning. Roger Deakins’ cinematography is some of the best of the year, so at least there is that. I would recommend checking out The Goldfinch on Blu-ray mainly for its cinematography because it will not disappoint.
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment generously provided Hotchka with the Blu-ray for reviewing purposes.
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