Love & Mercy: The Brian Wilson Story

I am still under the influence of this shocking film, it has an impact because of the subject treated, since paradoxically, we could witness a similar fact in the skin of another famous singer, Britney Spears, and I am referring to the legal figure of guardianship, where the person under guardianship loses practically all his rights and can not act or do anything without the consent of the legal guardian. A situation that seems to be repeated in American laws, we have already seen two productions about this, the peculiar documentary Framing Britney Spears, where we see how the interpreter manages to eradicate the guardianship of his life, and I Care a Lot where the unsympathetic Rosamund Pike has as a source of income to become guardian of several elderly to take their wealth and property to live in great luxury.

This film addresses two timelines in the life of Brian Wilson, the brilliant mastermind behind the American band The Beach Boys, so my emotions are softened, because my father, a music and rock addict, often lulled me with his songs, so the soundtrack of Love & Mercy is engraved, forever, in my memory. These timelines address different moments in the life of the Californian Mozart, which, although they are not exactly exact, recreate the time when the band's success was already achieved and our protagonist decides to accept his limitations and dedicate himself only to composing, and the other moment exposes the result of the musician's tutelage and how love saved him from these abuses.

Love & Mercy has two actors playing the same role. The great Paul Dano and John Cusack playing the two versions of Brian Wilson that this film offers, the young and the adult, and I can't help but compare them in their portrayals of the character, winning, in my opinion the young Dano with his impeccable development. Those who know the singer's story should know that Brian Wilson suffers from some mental problems, anxiety and possible schizophrenia, so characterizing him becomes a delicate matter.

We also see other famous actors like Elizabeth Banks, Brian's crush, and Paul Giamatti as the Beach Boys singer's legal guardian, whom we come to hate for his great performance. It is the first feature film by Bill Pohlad, who with an excellent vision offers us a biopic that moves away from the common places of other similar films, moving away from the cliché by presenting Brian's humanity, and not as an extended video clip.

Filmaffinity tells us that:

Biopic about musician and composer Brian Wilson, founder of the Beach Boys, about his influence on music, and his nervous problems that led to his relationship with the controversial therapist Dr. Eugene Landy.

Love & Mercy manages to place us fully and without so many tricks in an era that generates a lot of nostalgia, without resorting to so many effects, since almost all the action takes place in closed spaces, so only with the fashion represented we can place ourselves in the 60's or 80's, making it clear that it does not need so many resources to make us feel the atmosphere of the time.

The truth is that it is an interesting film, not only because of Brian Wilson's existential problem, the issue of legal guardianship caught me, as I followed Britney's trial during the moment in which she proposed to leave her own. So, although it presents a story about 40 years ago, we see that it is not a situation that has been overcome until now, as legal loopholes are created that put several creative geniuses at a disadvantage, to get their fortune.

Paul Dano's performance really left me speechless, he gives a performance that is not only believable, but also respectful and sensitive to what it's like to feel out of focus or blurred in front of reality. I appreciate that he didn't put on a sick crazy face when playing the character, it seems to me that he sought to focus on the genius facet, as it better represents the attitudes associated with genius.

The scenographic work is incredible, which at all times places us in the times narrated in the film, being able to know the fashion, hairstyles and music that marks the moments of the story. It makes us feel nostalgic for the time of our parents and that we only knew referentially, and is that many eras are portrayed in the movies, but it seems that it is still early to begin to portray the decade of the 80's.

If we think about iconic bands of the past, I for one always thought of the Beach Boys as second rate, so it was a great surprise to learn that they were innovators, that Brian was considered a genius or the Californian Mozart. And this is the real success of this film, which shows us the story of a band of which little is known, is a sample of value, compared to the biopic of Elvis, an artist, just as good, but with a figure present in the imagination of many today.

So getting to know a forgotten band has much more value, in my opinion, than seeing the same stories told about a singer over and over again, that by watching the film, we are only verifying if what we saw in the documentary was true. In Love & Mercy we let ourselves be carried away by the surprise, we abandon ourselves to the pleasant moment of experiencing a sound, which we have once heard above, but which is not part of our library of knowledge.

At this point I don't know if I'm in love with Paul Dano or Brian Wilson, or if it's just the actor's captivating way of getting the message across. But come on, even though I was captivated by the story and his way of telling it, I definitely surrender to the complex, but seemingly simple performance of this actor, who I already talked about in this post.

I didn't really appreciate the performances of John Cusack and Elizabeth Banks, first there was no chemistry between them, I never left the impression that she was only interested in him being a famous singer who owns two fabulous houses in Malibu. And from him I only felt the constant need to look 'touched' in every scene. About Giamatti I won't talk, as I hated him with all my soul, and I still hate him, I hope he vindicates himself to me in another good movie.

So, friends, I recommend you to watch this movie, as curiosity, entertainment, craving to know the history of an iconic band of the 60's, or to understand how traumas are strongly linked to paranoias and genius around art and artists' lives.