Interesteg
What makes it different from others?
FrogGlace
In other words,this film is a surreal ride.
Keeley Coleman
The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;
Zandra
The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.
ken_l-1
As a Canadian, I generally steer clear of Canadian-made movies, but this is an exception that I'm glad I made. What a pleasure to watch two old veterans like Plummer and Von Sydow square off. Even in spite of the lukewarm reviews (usually my cue to bail a movie before it's done) I was able to finish this movie in relative comfort. (Most Canuck efforts make me very uncomfortable and embarrassed for all parties involved.) I cannot help but observe that reviewer "Huggo" misused the word "interred" in his review. To "inter" someone is to bury that person. The past tense of "inter" is "interred". I'm sure "Huggo" meant "interned".
Brigid O Sullivan (wisewebwoman)
But it was still enjoyable. The past was underdeveloped so this viewer lacked sympathy for the now adult characters - a key element in establishing a rapport and story arc.Susan Sarandon was marvellous as always in the lead, welcoming Max Von Syndow who 'rescued' her as a child from the concentration camps, along with Gabriel Byrne who was a childhood companion in the camp with her.Christopher Plummer's performance as the husband who keeps it all together is excellent, he rarely puts a foot wrong on stage or screen, a consummate actor.Gabriel Byrne projects haunted like no actor can and his scene with Max touched me emotionally like none of the other which appeared more 'contrived'.Roy Dupuis, who played the part of the son, is a little underused here, the effects on him of his disconnected mother not fully explored - this could have been tied in with his oddly absentee wife? The scenery, pardon the pun, just about steals every scene here - magnificent - and the autumn colours underline the autumn years of the cast, beautifully done.6 out of 10. I felt there was more to this than was shown.
TarHeel78
With the all of the big names in this film I was expecting a real experience. I could not have been more wrong. I wanted to take the DVD out after 10 minutes but my 18 year old son said we should give it a chance. We watched through to the end because none of us could summon enough energy to stand up and walk to the TV. Not only was the pace too slow for words but the acting (except for Max von Sydow) was excruciatingly bad. The flashbacks did not do enough to show the supposed life long ties between the characters. It was like watching six characters with no relationship to each other wandering around the set gnashing their teeth and wringing their hands. The symbolism was so in-your- face that it might as well have had flashing captions saying "pay attention to this-it is symbolic!" A most disappointing movie. At least the scenery was nice to watch.
Gordon-11
This film is about three Nazi death camp survivors reuniting 35 years later, arousing deep emotions and provoking old wounds.I had high hopes for "Emotional Arithmetic". The cast is completely stellar and Oscar worthy. Their performances are all excellent, but unfortunately the plot is not enough to make the a masterpiece. The topic has so much potential to make it a tear jerker, but "Emotional Arithmetic" fails to be captivating. The past is poorly explained, and the present is inadequately described. I think every subplot is not developed to enough detail to evoke inner emotions in the viewers' hearts. The only memorable scene is when Melanie gets shattered by Jakob's reaction when she hands him a gift at the dinner table.I feel disappointed by "Emotional Arithmetic". It has so much potential to grab and move viewers, but it turns out to be a rather unsatisfying bore.
