we share the descent into darkness of a talented boy pianist . 
years later we see his subsequent resurfacing ; in the mid 80's a damaged man walks out of a rainstorm and back into the world . 
the movie charts the causes of his mental breakdown . 
based on the life story of david helfgott , this australian film is a rich exploration of the pressures drilling in upon a child-genius , compounded by the looming shadow of a domineering father . 
in the 1950's helfgott emerged as a child prodigy . 
the film traces his relationship with his father , whose encouragement comes at the cost of demanding david have no life beyond that of the black and white keys . 
david is offered places in the usa , but his father refuses to let him leave australia . 
the effect this has upon helfgott is cleverly told via a single reverse tracked shot ; david is sobbing on the front doorway of his music teacher's house . 
he is well lit via the external house lights . 
his teacher isn't home . 
we pull back and see that the dark front room's window has it's curtains open . 
there , in a pool of blackness , is a grand piano . 
david's fall over the dark cliff has begun . 
instead of being told in a linear mode , shine jumps around in time , ala " pulp fiction " . 
this narrative device works well ; we see david as a boy , teenager in london and mental-patient in various snippets . 
the film then neatly loops back for its uplifting conclusion . 
adult-helfgott's return to the light is told in linear fashion . 
the lead role is played by 3 different actors , with the teenage-david ( taylor ) and adult-david ( rush ) standing out . 
whilst rush is known for his tv work in australia , i think this is his first major cinema work . 
his david , whilst clearly damaged - he keeps quoting his " daddy " in a babbling word torrent , cuddles strangers and grabs women on the breasts - is both touching and funny . 
taylor's teenage-david is the more sympathy producing role . 
we are mute witness to his gradual breakdown as the pressures just keep on building . 
his father wants him to play the very demanding rachmaninov's 3rd , whilst his teacher wants to start him with a simple mozart . 
technically this is a beautiful film and a lot of thought has gone in to the production . 
i particularly like the use of slow motion and sound effects . 
one scene has adult-helfgott happily babbling in a car in the rain . 
the sound of the windshield wipers fades up over his voice . 
with a clever subtlety , the wiper sound appears to morph into a rhythmic thumping , but of the same beat . 
the image dissolves and we realise the thumping is the slow motion applause of a crowd . 
but it's us being clapped . 
we are young-david walking up to the stage for our first public show . 
the music , as you would expect from a film of this subject matter , is critical . 
and it works very well . 
the 'miming' of the actors piano playing is faultless ( apparently rush didn't mime ; he really did play ) 
helfgott's life is certainly not without it's sympathetic people . 
indeed his return to the 'normal' world is accelerated by his chance meetings with two very special women . 
his ultimately uplifting story is a magic piece of theatre craft . 
it shows that with the 'help of god' we can all find our way back home . 
