I dare say, that during the first act,

The first twenty-five minutes, or so, of the film, Beginners, written and directed by Mike Mills (not the bassist for R.E.M.), the Wife and I thought we were witnessing history, a full-on Little Masterpiece thrown in our laps.  It did not finish as a Masterpiece but it is still a deeply moving, wistful, still-life (of flowers in a vase), that is heartbreaking and profoundly life-affirming all at the same time.

She speaks strictly French when she is really upset

I do not want to spoil anything for anyone, but I must say this:  The Chaplin-esque, silent film, old twenties jazz score playing throughout,  with our female lead (the mysteriously precious Melanie Laurent) wearing a suit ("in drag") and suffering from laryngitis, at the Halloween party is an absolute stone-cold genius, maybe perfect piece of film making.  It is so brill and good that it is near impossible for me to believe that Mills wrote it from scratch.  It must have happened to him, exactly like that.

Extremely highly recommended,  Beginners will take a place in my personal private little Hall of Fame of film.