Reggie, what a gifted boy he was. Too bright, too talented and too mature for his peers and for his teachers too in his toney NYC private school, but even with those great advantages, he was overlooked and ignored by his rich parents, who were too selfish and busy to give him proper attention for his young boy needs of love, friendship and acceptance. Thus, they gave that job to a caring immigrant maid and a new, 23 year-old, female au pair, who was just looking for a job after a breakup with her rocker band boy friend. The relationship that developed between this boy and his au pair was this story.
Reggie was a cello prodigy, a math prodigy, and a maturity prodigy for a 12 year old. He was also an old soul, much deeper than his years and those of older others in seeing what was wrong around him but also what he needed and so lacked in his life. His new au pair, a lapsed cornet player trying to get some order in her life, bonded with him in a near older sister-younger brother relationship, but better than that, more than that. Sometimes it was not clear who the older, more mature one was. Reggie was that gifted and special. And, she was special in that she was such a good and needed friend who treated Reggie as an equal, not as a kid. Thus, their bond was so much tighter and caring and, yes, loving, than would be typical for their differing ages, thus it was so much harder for both when it had to end.
The development of their close ties meant that when it came time for her to get on with her life and leave, both would find it very difficult. Reggie was stunned by the separation, yes, but he had found from this friendship the confident awareness that there was at least one person this world whom he could finally relate to and care deeply about, and who cared deeply for him, and it was also clear that his life had been so enhanced by the friendship. He was no longer alone in his heart.
A beautiful, classical sound track throughout, with a haunting and original cello/cornet piece at the end. This is the kind of heartfelt and realistically-paced film Hollywood does not make, so see it if you want a sweet, touching and believable human story instead of more CGI monsters.
Reggie was a cello prodigy, a math prodigy, and a maturity prodigy for a 12 year old. He was also an old soul, much deeper than his years and those of older others in seeing what was wrong around him but also what he needed and so lacked in his life. His new au pair, a lapsed cornet player trying to get some order in her life, bonded with him in a near older sister-younger brother relationship, but better than that, more than that. Sometimes it was not clear who the older, more mature one was. Reggie was that gifted and special. And, she was special in that she was such a good and needed friend who treated Reggie as an equal, not as a kid. Thus, their bond was so much tighter and caring and, yes, loving, than would be typical for their differing ages, thus it was so much harder for both when it had to end.
The development of their close ties meant that when it came time for her to get on with her life and leave, both would find it very difficult. Reggie was stunned by the separation, yes, but he had found from this friendship the confident awareness that there was at least one person this world whom he could finally relate to and care deeply about, and who cared deeply for him, and it was also clear that his life had been so enhanced by the friendship. He was no longer alone in his heart.
A beautiful, classical sound track throughout, with a haunting and original cello/cornet piece at the end. This is the kind of heartfelt and realistically-paced film Hollywood does not make, so see it if you want a sweet, touching and believable human story instead of more CGI monsters.