Love & Mercy is a 2014 film directed by Bill Pohlad. The plot of the film focuses on Brian Wilson, the brain behind most of The Beach Boys’ greatest songs and albums, and his tragic journey through his music career and life in general. The movie was written by Oren Moverman and Michael A. Lerner, and it stars John Cusack (as the older Brian Wilson), Paul Dano (younger Wilson), and Elizabeth Banks. Bill Pohlad didn’t receive much fame as a director until this movie came out, but he has worked on successful films such as Brokeback Mountain, 12 Years a Slave, and, a personal favorite of mine, Into the Wild as a producer.

            Love & Mercy’s plot is interesting, as it jumps back and forth between two completely different decades and points in Brian Wilson’s life: the (later) 1960s and the 1980s. Detailed in both time periods are Wilson’s struggle with mental illness; the realization of a problem starting in the 60s, and then the unethical treatments administered by Dr. Eugene Landy being the main focus of the 80s portion. Sprinkled in amongst that aspect, Wilson’s love life is also portrayed in what I can only describe as a parallel manner. With the unique way the plot bounces between the two eras, I feel that the main plot-point of his mental illness held very strongly throughout the whole film and did not fall through which would have left a gaping hole in the storyline. There were only a couple of times in which I felt a little confused due to the timeline moving around so much, but it suited the nature of the film in an incredible way, as it went along with Brian Wilson’s constant struggle between those two time periods.

            The emotional nature of Brian Wilson’s life was captured almost perfectly, in my opinion, and the dramatic aspect of this film was overwhelming because it was depicted so intensely. For example, there is a scene that takes place during the 1960s portion inside the studio. Murry Wilson, the father of the Wilson boys in the band, had shown up and it appeared that his presence triggered a mental breakdown of sorts for Brian Wilson. The whole scene was gut-wrenching as it showed the first glimpses of what Brian Wilson was going to deal with when it came to his mental state and well-being. To be able to pull-off those types of scenes is an incredible acting feat, and I firmly believe that Paul Dano did a convincing job as the younger B. Wilson as he channeled the troubled star’s drug use, curiosity, and genuine beauty of the soul. In terms of the portrayal of the older Brian Wilson, I was thrown-off at the casting of John Cusack because I didn’t see much resemblance between Cusack and Wilson, but I had no doubt that Cusack’s acting abilities would be able to carry him gracefully through the film, to which I was proved right by the end credits.

            In musician biopics, especially those that have come out recently, there is not much that directors are afraid to touch on. Sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll is the motto of almost every rock star, and that very foundation was explored in depth in this movie and I was very pleased with that. Drug use is almost a surefire way to bring raw aspects of life to films, and I believe that Bill Pohlad had that idea in his mind when he brought in the use of LSD, cocaine, and marijuana – all of which had incredible impacts on Brian Wilson’s songwriting through the years, and it expertly shows Wilson’s descent into a drug-fueled trip that only disintegrated his mental health further. I took Pohlad’s direction of Love & Mercy with great indulgence because I have been fascinated with the life of Brian Wilson for quite some time, but I had no idea that it was as tragic as this film portrayed it to be – and it created an intense emotional pull on me with the help of Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds and other numbers being played in the background. I’ll never be able to hear those songs again without thinking of Brian Wilson and how immensely gifted he is with his imagination, creativity, and genius.

            Bill Pohlad created this film in hopes of capturing Brian Wilson’s troubling times in life and I feel that he not only did that but he exceeded in doing so in such a manner that it could not have been delivered anymore perfectly. All aspects of the film come together flawlessly, despite there being two very different eras shown, and that, in turn, bring an astounding emotional veil over the entire movie that has stuck with me since I finished it. In conclusion, I most definitely recommend this movie to any fan of the Beach Boys, Brian Wilson, or of music in general.