Life’s riddles are presented in a more conventional way in this fictional biographical film by James Marsh, whose stripped-down portrayal of Stephen Hawking in his 2014 The Theory of Everything doesn’t exactly give hope that it will do Beckett justice. Shot in black and white, the film almost hilariously embraces elements that Beckett’s work rejects: sardonic music (by Benoit Viellefon), ingratiating, potentially “identifiable” characters, a linear progression of linear mini-narratives of love and loss. Within the parameters it sets for itself, however, the film, shot mostly in black and white, is largely watchable, if not entirely easy to digest. (But note this well: This film doesn’t even have enough respect for Beckett’s work to properly mention the “dance first” quote; later in the film, it’s discussed as something he “said to a student.”)

This is partly due to the work of Gabriel Byrne, who plays the older Beckett with a jagged intelligence. Beckett won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1969, an event he described as a “catastrophe.” He did not attend the ceremony or give the expected speech. Marsh’s film depicts a nightmare of Beckett’s in which he attends the awards ceremony and climbs a ladder out of the building to avoid the awards.

In the cavernous, gray foundations of the theater, Byrne’s Beckett argues with himself (literally—Byrne is doubled in these scenes) about what to do with the Nobel Prize money. Should he donate it to Trinity College, his alma mater? The discussion stirs memories of the women and men in his life. There’s his brilliant and domineering mother, who takes exception to her child’s writing; Lucia Joyce, who acts as an intermediary between Beckett and the family member he’s really interested in, her father James (you know, the author); Alfred Peron, the friend who taught Beckett French, a language he adopted for his work. (It’s speculated that Peron’s terrible fate inspired Beckett’s creation of Lucky.) And more.

The film itself doesn’t dwell too much on the work. Nor does it need to, given the eventfulness of Beckett’s life. Although young Sam (played by Fionn O’Shea) is a somewhat shy fellow – imagine that! – he also has a kind of confidence that attracts the attention of women, some of whom are played here by Maxine Peake and Sandrine Bonnaire. Living in Paris since 1937, he joins the French Resistance during World War II and shows considerable courage and resourcefulness. When he meets BBC translator Barbara Bray (Peake), he is instantly smitten, but remains faithful to his wife Suzanne (Bonnaire). The film’s older and wiser Beckett asks his double, “What does a snake look like to you?”