A Late Quartet is a film about the difficulties of change and the depths of one’s life passion. This film follows The Fugue Quartet and the musicians’ relationships with each other. Peter, the cellist (Christopher Walken), finds out that he has an illness which will prohibit him from playing the cello.
As he discusses this tragic news with his fellow musicians, the drama begins. The Fugue has been together for 25 years, playing over 3,000 concerts. They are internationally known and very skilled. Peter recently lost his wife, Miriam, and with the news of his retirement the Fugue is barely holding itself together.
The director of A Late Quartet, Yaron Zilberman, worked with writer Seth Grossman to create an implicit story. It only unfolds bits and pieces of the struggles behind the musicians’ relationships. Betrayal, jealousy and love creep into this harmonious group to create a crescendo of tension between the musicians to the point where the Fugue may be disbanded.
Once Peter presents his unstable future to the quartet, tensions rise between Daniel (Mark Ivanir), first violinist, and Robert (Philip Seymour Hoffman), the second violinist. Robert strives to become first violinist. However, Daniel’s pride will not allow Robert to steal his position. To make matters worse, Robert’s emotionally distant wife and violist of the quartet, Juliette (Catherine Keener), gets dragged into Robert and Daniel’s conflict. Meanwhile, Robert and Juliette’s daughter, Alexandra (Imogen Poots), becomes wrapped up in her parents’ failing marriage.
What is truly moving about A Late Quartet is the connection between love and music. Members of the Fugue try to balance their passion in both. In the process, they realize how strong and fragile their relationships are with one another.
The score features string instruments which play throughout the film, intertwining with the pieces that the musicians rehearse during the film. The score has a realistic sound that is very pure and unaltered. It really adds value to the film.
A Late Quartet was slow-paced at the beginning. The only thing that kept me intrigued was the steady reveal of each character’s secret. Once the film picked up the pace, it became more interesting to watch. The story showed a realistic view of life which is often messy and choppy.
Critic’s Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Alyssa Hingre can be reached at hingrea@yahoo.com