The Sunrise Theater's SunFlix Series presents the critically acclaimed independent comedy/drama "Beginners," a film about a man contending with his relationship to his 75-year-old father, who simultaneously comes out of the closet and gets diagnosed with terminal cancer.

The latest film from director Mike Mills, "Beginners" stars Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, Goran Visnjic and Melanie Laurent.

This film will be shown Aug. 11-15 on weekdays at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2:30 p.m. (no Saturday evening film) and Sunday at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m.

This film is rated R and runs for 1 hour and 45 minutes.

"Beginners" imaginatively explores the hilarity, confusion and surprises of love through the evolving consciousness of Oliver (Ewan McGregor).

Oliver meets the irreverent and unpredictable Anna (Melanie Laurent) only months after his father, Hal (Christopher Plummer), has passed away. This new love floods Oliver with memories of his father who, following 44 years of marriage, came out of the closet at age 75 to live a full, energized, and wonderfully tumultuous gay life.

The upheavals of Hal's new honesty, by turns funny and moving, brought father and son closer than they'd ever been able to be. Now Oliver endeavors to love Anna with all the bravery, humor and hope that his father taught him.

"Beginners" opened in key cities to good reviews, 78.9 percent positive, according to Movie Review Intelligence.com. Shawn Levy wrote in The Portland Oregonian, "[Writer/director Mike] Mills has crafted a meditation on a huge chunk of life, and he and his cast have made a moving and lovely thing of it."

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times rates the film "outstanding," labeling it "...a hopeful fable with deep optimism and a cheerful style that kids itself."

The historic Sunrise Theater, located at 250 NW Broad St., in Southern Pines, is nonprofit. Ticket prices are $7 for all shows. Refreshments, including beer and wine, are available.

For more information on "Beginners," or any activity at the Sunrise, contact the theater at (910) 692-3611 or go to www.sunrisetheater.com.