An ordinary fisherman, Elliott Winther, shot to fame after he was discovered by Suzanne Taylor, wife of late music legend Vince Taylor. A Beautiful Life follows Elliot’s journey to fame. We witness his indecisiveness, past trauma, and fear of losing his comfort as he struggles to navigate his new life. Elliott forms a friendly relationship with Suzanne’s daughter, Lilly. Even though they were vastly different from each other, they shared similar anguish, which in a way, brought them closer to each other. With his life-changing rapidly, Elliott struggled to find his pace. In the end, he had to decide whether he wanted to give music a chance or abandon it all for his peace of mind.
Spoilers Alert
‘A Beautiful Life’ Plot Summary: What Is The Film About?
Elliott’s friend, Oliver, aspired to become a singer, and he paid Elliott to play the guitar at a gig. Soon after Oliver started to sing, the audience began leaving. Oliver choked as he watched the disaster unfold. To save his friend from embarrassment, Elliott continued singing. His voice captivated the audience, and Suzanne Taylor was impressed by him. Oliver was glad that his friend stepped up, though Elliott was not too happy about the situation. Just as Elliott was about to leave, a few debt collectors gathered to attack Oliver. Elliott intervened to protect his best friend, and the situation further escalated. The police got involved, and Oliver refused to stay in contact with Elliott. He was embarrassed that his father had found out about his financial condition, and he could not forgive Elliott for it. Meanwhile, Elliott received an interesting offer from Suzanne Taylor. She offered him money to stay with her for a few days to work on his music. Elliott did not respond to the offer, but when he mentioned it to his boss, he encouraged him to accept the offer. He dropped Elliott off at Suzanne’s house to begin a new chapter of his life.
Elliott met Suzanne’s daughter, Lilly, when he entered the house. Lilly was about to leave for London, but her mother wanted her to stay. She asked Lilly to produce Elliott’s music, but Lilly did not think Elliott could make it big. Lilly agreed to stay for a short span of time, within which Elliott had to prove that he indeed was talented. Lilly asked Elliot to sing from his heart, and that was when he started to focus on writing a song that was inspired by his life. Lilly was impressed after listening to a verse of his new composition. She decided to produce his songs, but she knew that he needed an open space to allow his music to flow. Since Vince Taylor’s studio overwhelmed Elliott, they decided to stay at a cottage in the countryside to focus on their new song. They produced their first song together, and after listening to it, Suzanne decided to release it on Vince’s social media platforms. Elliott was not ready to make his debut, and Lilly tried to convince him to give his music a chance. Lilly knew that Elliott was afraid of the unknown, and he wanted to stay within his comfort zone. She encouraged him to broaden his horizons and allow his music to come to life. Lilly believed that a song does not exist if it remains unsung. He did not have to perform for the crowd; he could simply think of one person that he wanted to communicate with in his music. Elliott was ready, and after uploading his song online, he became an instant internet sensation.
What Was Elliott And Lilly’s Past?
Elliott lost his parents when he was young. All he had was their picture and his dad’s boat where he lived. The boat made him feel closer to his parents, and he was saving money to travel around the world in it. Elliott’s childhood was spent living with foster families, and after spending all those years in uncertainty, he enjoyed the peace of living in his dad’s boat. Lilly was born into a wealthy family. But the absence of her father affected her deeply. She always heard stories of her father going to extremes to impress his audience, but he could not do the bare minimum at times for his family. Lilly remembered how her father bailed on her tenth birthday. He did not return home for three years, and Lilly could not help but feel bitter about it. Vince Taylor was loved by the world, but when it came to his family, they barely had any good memories of him. Lilly had spent her childhood traveling wherever her father went in the hopes of spending time with him, but that never really happened. He was there, yet he was missing from her life. When Elliott discussed his family, Lilly could relate to the absence of a parental figure that Elliott experienced.
Who Called Suzanne The Night Vince Taylor Died?
Lilly always wondered why her mother did not receive the phone call from the hotel her father was staying at. Initially, Suzanne chose not to answer the question, but she later revealed that she had previously received such calls from Vince, but he was always surrounded by women. She did not receive the phone call because she was afraid that he would want to leave her. Suzanne never discussed her husband’s shortcomings with Lilly because she did not wish to spoil the image that Lilly had of her father. Later, Lilly revealed that it was she who made the call from her father’s hotel room the night he committed suicide. She went looking for him in his room, but she was late. She called her mother for emotional support, but she was not there for her. Lilly missed her mother, and by confessing the truth, the mother and daughter realized that they needed each other more than anything else in life.
‘A Beautiful Life’ Ending Explained: What Choice Did Elliott Finally Make?
After the release of his first song, Elliott had fans following him wherever he went. Lilly watched Elliott soak in the joy from a distance, and she was proud of his success. They were in love, and they were making music— life was truly great for them. But it all changed when Oliver returned. Now that Elliott was famous, Oliver was ready to forgive him. While Elliott was not the loud party person that Oliver was, he did not wish to offend his only friend and continued to maintain a cordial relationship with him. Oliver requested that Elliott make him a part of his musical journey. Since it was his dream to become a singer, he believed he deserved to be with Elliott to share his success. Oliver’s demand shocked Elliott. He tried to be reasonable, but Oliver was desperate. He accused Elliot of stealing his lines, and he added that he was ready to look past it all if he was offered just one song in his album. The next day, Elliott arrived at the recording studio with Oliver. He was adamant about giving Oliver a chance, even though he was clearly out of tune. Suzanne was not ready to turn the album into a joke, and she asked Oliver to leave. Lilly was against the methods her mother used to turn Elliott into a star. She constantly reminded Suzanne that Elliott was not her father. Her father was forced to constantly produce music, and that deteriorated the quality of the songs he delivered. She hoped for Elliott to feel liberated when he performed and not turn into a song-producing machine like Vince. Her father’s life ended tragically, and she was afraid that Suzanne’s influence would destroy the talent Elliott possessed.
Later, when Lilly met Elliott, she stated that she was pregnant, but Elliott remained silent. He walked away from her. With his best friend gone and his girlfriend pregnant, Elliott felt overwhelmed. When he returned to his boat, he was devastated to watch it burn down to ashes. He realized that Oliver started the fire to seek revenge on him. The boat was all that Elliott had of his parents, and with it gone, he wondered what he was supposed to do with his life. The money he had saved, the picture of his parents, and the boat were now all gone. He was forced to start over, even though he was not ready for it. While his past was forcefully taken away from him, Elliott was not too certain about his future. He was not sure about becoming a father, but the thought of losing his constant companion was painful. By attending the London-based talk show, Elliott could make or break his career, and after reaching the set, he was not sure if he truly wanted the fame.
Patrick, Vince Taylor’s producer, shared his story with Elliott. He, too, was an orphan, and he chose music over everything else. Music gifted him a family in the form of the artists he worked with. He reminded Elliott that he, Suzanne, and Lilly were his family now. Elliott had already lost his family once, and Patrick emphasized that he must treasure the family he is now a part of. Patrick’s opinion changed Elliott’s mind, and he decided not to give up. When the host of the talk show asked him about the person who inspired him to compose the love song, Elliott took a pause and replied that he wrote it for the audience. He was asked to perform his song “I Hope This Song Is For You,” but he instead treated the audience to a new song titled “A Beautiful Life” that he composed, keeping Lilly in mind. Through the lyrics, he conveyed to Lilly the reason behind his hesitation after hearing the news. But he promised to become an attentive father to their little girl, a father who would prioritize her over everything else. While he was initially scared of the uncertain future, he had come to believe that this life would be beautiful as long as he had his family (Lilly and their baby) by his side.
A Beautiful Life ending confirms that Lilly and Elliott will raise their baby together. They were madly in love, and from their past experience, they have learned the importance of family, and now it is their duty to become responsible parents to their children. Elliott’s popularity skyrocketed after his performance on the show, and he became the star he was meant to be.
