From Beginning to End (2009)

Good movie but grossly overrated

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

As the protagonists are brothers, there was so much material to be developed during the movie that they was'n represented: the period of rejection from their parents (which must have been one) and finally acceptation and reconciliation. Beyond their sexual orientation, that's incest! there had to be at least a scene where they talked about it and there wasn't. Infinite problems could have appeared in their lives but the only one that was shown was a long-distance relationship which could have appeared in any film with a normal couple. They could have shown how they managed to be accepted, nevertheless, everything goes happily without anyone judging them; it's simply not realistic. There was a lot of material to be exploded that was completely ignored. The story itself is really good and should have been represented that way

I knew this was going to be icky. I'm sorry but I'm no fan of incest. However I was open minded enough to check it out and see what I could make out of it.What did I watch?Nothing. Nothing happened. I had lots of bad acting and no story at all. There is no conflict and therefore no resolution. It's just the writer's wishful vision of incest within a family with money where they can shrug it off and say "that relationship will be something you will have to work out by yourselves" ...like a couple...of brothers. Are you kidding me??? It's like "Oh, well...have fun with your incest, my loved ones". Even the trainer is like: "Oh...you haven't been apart, right? How nice! (Wink)" There is no life outside their bubble and even when they travel to Argentina another bubble waits for them. It would have actually been kind of fun finding out that the guy in Argentina died after mentioning how inappropriate their relationship was. That would have created some excitement. Instead of that we have a lot of time with the bad actress playing mom and the kids being terrible as well...and then the beauty of the models just "being". I guess some users here wrote positive things just because of the male nudity. Come on! We have to be objective. This doesn't even get to be pretentious or artsy fartsy. It only has a beautiful photography and that is all.

I'm not sure what to make of this film. It is undoubtedly the most romantic portrait of homosexual male incest ever put on the screen. The two (half) brothers in question stare tenderly at each other almost every second, say things like, "To understand our love, they'd have to turn the world upside down", and even exchange wedding rings (!!!). The film approves so much of this relationship that the only drama it can find is one brother's opportunity to study in Russia for the Olympics, which will separate him from his paramour for three years. There's some mild suspense as to whether this hiatus will push one or both brothers into a more socially acceptable (homo or hetero) sex life, then a rather abrupt ending. While it is refreshing that the movie avoids the usual Lifetime TV melodramatic approach ("We just...couldn't...STOP!!!"), it's rather bizarre that the brothers' relatives and friends never protest or even ask uncomfortable questions; everyone else in the movie just wants to avoid the subject. And the structure compounds the problem; the movie lingers on "poetic", eventually redundant scenes of the boys' childhood (long after we get the idea) then suddenly leaps forward several years (killing off two principal characters) to the start of their sexual relationship--we never really see the decision made, and the moment of no return seems to happen between scenes. The subject is raised, then glossed over with golden cinematography and a near-constant underscoring of "tasteful" neo-classical mood music (i.e., much piano noodling cushioned by aching strings) which stops at crucial moments. Is it seemly for an incest movie to be so inoffensive?

I got this movie out on DVD without knowing too much about it and I was absolutely blown away. It is such a touching and romantic movie. I know it has taboo topics but they are handled so gently and with such acceptance by the film makers and the the characters within the story. It truly moved me in a way a film has never done for me before. It is probably not for everyone due to some of it's taboo content, but honestly, it should be viewed regardless. It is such an exquisite portrayal and will really make you think. I cannot praise this movie more highly. Forget the mind-numbing exploitative offerings of The Hangover or Bridesmaids, and see what great film can accomplish.