Oaks Fegley manages to capture both the trauma of grief and loss of Theo Decker

Goldfinch is a star-driven, turbulent, emotional drama with some moments of great humor and bonding about a young boy’s (Oaks Fegley) journey coping with losing his mother to a terrorist bombing and subsequently being taken in by a wealthy loving matriarch, Mrs. Barbour, portrayed by Nicole Kidman. A role that she into very naturally and played excellently, as we have seen her in many similar roles in Big Little Lies and Eyes Wide Shut.

Once Theo thinks he finally has found a place in the Barbour household, he is ripped from them and taken to the middle of the desert to Las Vegas by his absentee father, Larry Decker, played by Luke Wilson. The times that Luke Wilson is on screen, he steals the scenes with his volatile, disturbing performance as he plays an abusive, exploitive, alcoholic father. Simultaneously, we are introduced to Sarah Paulson’s character, Xander, who plays Larry Decker’s trashy, druggie girlfriend. From the get go, it is made clear that neither of these characters care for young Theo, as one of their first interactions with him are giving the nervous young 13-year-old Valium on a plane to calm him. Luke Wilson’s performance stands out most when he is most violent and angry with his son, as he tries to get him to transfer money to him for a supposed business venture, however when the young Theo questions his motives or actions, we see a terrifyingly stellar performance by Wilson as he intimidates him into his demands.

Oaks Fegley plays Theo's character very well, showcasing his sorrow and loneliness throughout the film while also being incredibly charming as he amazing bonding moments with Pippa, Andy Barbour, and Boris. These pure moments of Oaks having fun and having a break from the world around him were some of my favorites, as I couldn't stop smiling at Andy's and Theo's banter. It seemed like such a natural connection.

Finn Wolfhard, who played the younger version of Boris, I would argue was my favorite part of the film. As young Theo had to deal with not only the trauma of his mother, he also had to deal with the abusive and neglectful parents, and the only real happy, genuine moments we see in this film are between Boris and Theo. Boris, who is a very well travelled Russian boy, same age as Theo, we find relates a lot to him. They both lost their mother, have neglectful fathers, and have a desire to be free. However, they are trapped here. Boris is the most comedic character in the film, which was a well deserved break and stand out from the grim and seriousness. Seeing Theo and Boris on drug trips together and giggling at movies is something I will never get tired of.

Now we get to adult Theo, played by Ansel Elort, which by we cut back and forth between via flashbacks and nightmares. Ansel Elgort put on a very stiff, robotic performance. We really did not see much emotion out of him at all, even when he sees his fiance cheating on him with a man he has hated all his life. Ansel has a calm, collected conversation and decides “maybe we work past this?”. Then, after years of separation, he runs into Boris at a bar, and again, no emotional reunion or reaction. You’d expect this was your best friend for years that you’d be a little more excited? Surprised?

The invitation for Theo to join the mafia to get the painting back was a bit jarring, as nothing prefaced this are built up to it. Adult Boris was just introduced not long before, and we just learned he was in the mafia, and nothing in Theo’s character suggests he would join Boris on this crazy mission. Theo’s life was normal just 20 minutes prior, and then Boris show’s up and convinces him to go on a mafia mission. If it had more buildup or pretense, maybe it would’ve sat better with me.

Overall, Goldfinch is a pretty good attempt at an adaption of a nearly 800 page drama. It skims the surface, but it does the job. It is well worth the watch for the outstanding performances my Oaks Fegley and Finn Wolfhard and some beautiful cinematography.