A Late Quartet (2012, dir. Yaron Zilberman) ***/****

You do not have to be a classical music expert to enjoy A Late Quartet.  The film centres around four musicians who are part of a string quartet.  Christopher Walken's character Peter Mitchell is the oldest member of the group and he find out that he is in the early stages of Parkinson's disease.  This means that he will have to retire from the group as his co-ordination and dexterity declines.   The other members are the married couple Robert and Juliette Gelbart (Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Catharine Keener) and Daniel Lerner (Mark Ivanir).  The film depicts how Mitchell's diagnosis affects the dynamics of the group and relationship of the people involved.  It is a really enjoyable film with great performances.  It is interesting to get a realistic glimpse into the lives of classical musicians and how their decisions and eccentricities can be trying and complicated.  A nice character study and will leave you feeling good about yourself and humanity afterwards.