BY: Miguel Ernesto Yusty

SHINE (CHLAR AND DARKNESS)

Year: 1996

Directed by: Scott Hicks

Cast: Geoffrey Rush, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Noah Taylor, John Gielgud

Award and nominations:

1996: Academy Awards: Best Actor (Rush). 7 Nominations

1996: Golden Globe: Best Actor in a Drama (Rush). 5 nominations

1996: 2 BAFTA awards: Best Actor (Geoffrey Rush) and Best Sound. 9 nominations

1996: National Board of Review: Best Film

1996: New York Film Critics Circle: Best Actor (Rush)

1996: Toronto Film Festival: 2 awards: Metro Media, People's Choice (Scott Hicks)

1996: Critics' Choice Awards: Best Actor (Rush). Top 10 – Best Films of the Year

1996: Los Angeles Film Critics Association: Best Actor. 2 Nominations

SHINE (1996), by Australian director Scott Hicks, is reminiscent of the film QUILLS (2000), which recounts the fictional final days of the Marquis de Sade. They are similar not only because Geoffrey Rush stars in both, but also because both tell the story of an artist with mental disorders who finds peace only in his art. The difference lies in the fact that one is a melodrama with a tragic ending, while the other, SHINE, also based on the life of a real person, chooses to leave the door open to hope, with a happy ending.

The first thing that stands out in SHINE is the high level of acting from its cast. The main character appears both as a young man and as an adult, and at every turn, the quality with which the personality of the musician on whom the film is based has been crafted is striking. The same is true of the rest of the cast, who are convincing and captivating throughout the film. This makes it easy to follow the plot, which is structured in a back-and-forth fashion, a risky approach because it could easily lose the audience's attention, but one that is saved by the charm of the main character.

SHINE represents the misunderstood of the world, those who feel their qualities have yet to be recognized, but who harbor the hope of one day having a different fate. Unlike QUILLS, although some may identify with the Marquis de Sade character, a large majority are likely to identify with the pianist in SHINE. The difference lies in the "happy ending," so despised by some directors, but so effective and fitting in films like SHINE. The question then arises: which of the two will stand the test of time better? Where does the public's favor lie? Both films passed the box office test, covering their production costs and even generating profits. But beyond the box office, only the audience has the answer… After seeing them once, which of the two films would you be willing to watch again?