The Goldfinch

Based on Donna Tartt’s expansive novel, The Goldfinch follows Theo Decker, played by Oakes Fegley as a child and Ansel Elgort as an adult, as he attempts to move on with his life after surviving a terrorist bombing at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. Filmmaker John Crowley, armed with Peter Straughan’s screenplay, delivers a deliberate and somewhat erratic drama that ultimately fares better than one might’ve anticipated, as the movie boasts a progressively absorbing atmosphere that’s heightened by Roger Deakins’ compelling visuals and an assortment of above-average performances – with both Fegley and Elgort’s strong, sympathetic efforts elevating the proceedings on an appreciatively recurring basis. (It doesn’t hurt, either, that Crowley has elicited equally impressive work from a top-notch supporting cast that includes Nicole Kidman, Luke Wilson, and Jeffrey Wright, with the latter’s all-too-brief yet commanding turn as Theo’s father figure remaining a consistent highlight.) And although the movie’s episodic, time-shifting narrative sporadically does wreak havoc on its momentum, The Goldfinch builds towards an engrossing and surprisingly emotional final stretch that ensures it concludes on a memorable, enthralling note – which does, in the end, cement its place as a top-notch adaptation of a seemingly unfilmable book.

***1/2 out of ****