Greetings again from the darkness. Some slack and a certain level of compassion is due director James Marsh's (Oscar winner for MAN ON WIRE, 2008) biopic on the enigmatic writer Samuel Beckett. The reasons no other filmmaker has previously attempted to profile Beckett are on display here, right alongside the reasons he remains such a fascinating figure. The screenplay from Neil Forsyth features surprisingly little of Beckett's own work, and instead, generally breaks his life into three categories: his foundation as a writer, his work in the French Resistance, and the weight of his romantic life.
An interesting and fitting opening has Beckett (Gabriel Byrne) acknowledging the "catastrophe" of winning a Nobel Prize. He snatches the prize money and then 'escapes' to have a discussion with himself (also played by Gabriel Byrne) in regard to how (and to whom) he should give the money in a way that best assuages his long-time guilt. This recurring device of Beckett to Beckett is used for structure throughout the film and provides a lead-in to chronological flashback chapters titled with the names of those he wronged along the way.
"Mother" shows young Sam bonding with his loving father (Barry O'Connor) who died too young, and battling with a mother (Lisa Dwyer Hogg) whose level of support she conveyed to teen Sam (Fionn O'Shea, WOLF, 2021) with a cutting, "What a waste" after reading his stories. This is followed by "Lucia", where Beckett tutors under his idol James Joyce (the always interesting Aidan Gillen). The price to pay for this guidance is regular dance dates with Joyce's energetic daughter Lucia (Grainne Good). When Beckett spoils the master plan, Joyce exacts revenge. In the process, Sam takes to heart the advice, 'the important thing is not what we write, but how we write it."
The next chapter is "Alfy", named after Beckett's Jewish friend, Alfred Peron (Robert Aramayo). Alfie's capture by the gestapo fills Beckett with guilt and leads him into the French Resistance. "Suzanne" is the longest chapter as it struggles to explain Beckett's complicated personal life. His first love is Suzanne (the younger version by Leonie Lojkine, and the older version by Sandrine Bonnaire). Although Suzanne seems to understand Beckett quite well, he also falls for his BBC interpreter Barbara Bray (played by Maxine Peake). This business and romantic affair spanned many years and was not kept secret from Suzanne.
"La Fin" takes us towards the end of Beckett's and Suzanne's lives - they died five months apart in 1989. It's here where the two Beckett's debate whether joy existed, or if being haunted by the memory of a red kite and various guilt-producing life moments override everything. The title is taken from a portion of a line in (one of ) Beckett's masterpiece, "Waiting for Godot", which states, "Dance first. Think later." These days, it's a sentiment many seem to live by, but one Beckett says to the other, "you couldn't wait to get to the pain." Perhaps that's shared by many writers. The film will have limited appeal, and while it has strong performances and moments of real interest, it's no surprise that a film falls short in capturing such a life of Samuel Beckett.
In theaters August 9, 2024 and on digital August 16, 2024.
