Seymour: An Introduction introduces Seymour Bernstein, a virtuoso pianist, veteran New Yorker, and true original who gave up a successful concert career to teach music. While Ethan Hawke's gentle, meditative study is a warm and lucid portrait of Bernstein and his exceptional life and work, it's also a love letter to the study of music itself, and a film about the patience, concentration, and devotion that are fundamental to the practice of art.
It's quiet, considered and spellbinding, with a great deal of beautiful music - some of it performed exquisitely by Bernstein himself.
Kaori Shoji
Japan Times
September 21, 2016
Seymour is intriguing, mainly because it brings together two uniquely talented artists -- Hawke and Bernstein -- and captures them in thought and ocasionally in conversation, sometimes together but more often on their own.
Hawke's cinematic etude may not unlock all the mysteries of music, but "Seymour: An Introduction" is universal enough to be understood by a bananafish.
Seymour: An Introduction is just that - not too much biography, or history. And one needn't be a music aficionado, or a musician, to appreciate the modest erudition coming from this man.
There's no pressing story to tell, or even especially vital achievement to record, so the film probably counts as bit of self-indulgence from Hawke, but it's got a very good heart.
Coming off of his superb one-two performances for Richard Linklater in Before Midnight and Boyhood, Hawke continues to work at a creative high level. He demonstrates a rapport and openness with his subject that proves exceptionally affecting.
Whether or not Hawke got any answers to his questions about the purpose of being artist, seeking them under the guidance of a teacher like Bernstein resulted in this work of art.
Bernstein seems like a man who has found fulfillment in his life, and his students seem fulfilled as well. His story is compelling and his words seem to be loaded with wisdom. He is a fascinating character.
