On to the Coda

A beloved string quartet that’s been performing together for 25 years (Christopher Walken, Catherine Keener, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Mark Ivanir) begins to crumble after the cellist (Walken) is diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. This lovely drama by screenwriters Seth Grossman and Yaron Zilberman is so attentive to the creative nuance and emotional dynamics of classical performance that I was almost disappointed when the story began to move into the various interpersonal conflicts between the players. But even these more routine matters are knit into the characters’ musical passion; despite all the friction that’s built up over the decades, each of them understands that, for better or worse, their extraordinary artistic partnership is the most meaningful relationship any of them has ever had.