Shine

Shine is based on the true story of Australian-born David Helfgott, a child prodigy whose performance at the piano forte eventually lands him a scholarship at the Royal College of Music in London. But nothing so easy. HeÆs the son of a Russian immigrant whose only dream was to become a musician. Having had his dream shattered as a child, he lives vicariously through his son, instructing him on his favourite masterpiece Rachmaninov 3.

Controlling and overbearing, he forbids David to study away from home. Desperate to please his father and much to the dismay of his tutors, David does as heÆs told, until a letter of acceptance to the Royal College of Music arrives. Enraged, DavidÆs father forbids him to go û forbids him to break up the family, but David goes against his father command, with the understanding that he has been disowned.

As a student, far from his fatherÆs emotional abuse, DavidÆs quirkiness becomes apparent. At the Academy, he is to give a recital. Determined to perform Rachmaninov 3 (perhaps for his father), his tutor frowns upon it saying that no student has ever attempted Rach 3 at a recital, but David is resolute.

As the story unfolds, you witness HelfgottÆs buildup to an emotional breakdown and his painful struggle with mental illness. His downward spiral plunges him into a world devoid of music, devoid of passion and devoid of love. Geoffrey Rush, who portrays Helfgott as an adult, is magnificent. His performance is deeply evocative û as sad as it is heart-warming. HelfgottÆs story is inspirational indeed. Shine is about the heartbreak of living with mental illness and the heartbreak of loving someone with mental illness. ItÆs not to be missed.

Reviewed by Donatella Montrone