A piece of advice for Canadian filmmakers -- don't make movies out of dreary CanLit novels. They're easy enough to spot.
Overview
An emotionally scarred fifty-something female, a high-profile but haunted British novelist, and a heroic dissident-cum-Soviet psychiatric hospital veteran, all reunite decades after bonding and surviving together in a detention camp during World War II.
Director and cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
Generally solid performances.
There's a dense compression here that's meant to be elliptical and allusive but has just the opposite effect. Rather than resonate, the compression suffocates the life out of the picture and every actor in it.
More films
Das Boot (1981)
Drama · History · War · R
A German submarine hunts allied ships during the Second World War, but it soon becomes the hunted. The crew tries to survive below the surface, while stretching both the boat and themselves to their limits.
- Runtime
- 2h 30m
- Director
- Wolfgang Petersen
- Cast
- Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer
The English Patient (1996)
Drama · Romance · War · R
In the 1930s, Count Almásy is a Hungarian map maker employed by the Royal Geographical Society to chart the vast expanses of the Sahara Desert along with several other prominent explorers. As World War II unfolds, Almásy enters into a world of love, betrayal, and politics.
- Runtime
- 2h 42m
- Director
- Anthony Minghella
- Cast
- Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe
The Pianist (2002)
Drama · War · R
The true story of pianist Władysław Szpilman's experiences in Warsaw during the Nazi occupation. When the Jews of the city find themselves forced into a ghetto, Szpilman finds work playing in a café; and when his family is deported in 1942, he stays behind, works for a while as a laborer, and eventually goes into hiding in the ruins of...
- Runtime
- 2h 30m
- Director
- Roman Polanski
- Cast
- Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Frank Finlay
Life Is Beautiful (1997)
Comedy · Drama · PG-13
A touching story of an Italian book seller of Jewish ancestry who lives in his own little fairy tale. His creative and happy life would come to an abrupt halt when his entire family is deported to a concentration camp during World War II. While locked up he tries to convince his son that the whole thing is just a game.
- Runtime
- 1h 56m
- Director
- Roberto Benigni
- Cast
- Nicoletta Braschi, Giorgio Cantarini
Pearl Harbor (2001)
Action · History · Romance · War · PG-13
The lifelong friendship between Rafe McCawley and Danny Walker is put to the ultimate test when the two ace fighter pilots become entangled in a love triangle with beautiful Naval nurse Evelyn Johnson. But the rivalry between the friends-turned-foes is immediately put on hold when they find themselves at the center of Japan's devastati...
- Runtime
- 3h 3m
- Director
- Michael Bay
- Cast
- Ben Affleck, Kate Beckinsale, Josh Hartnett
The Lorax (2012)
Animation · Family · PG
A 12-year-old boy searches for the one thing that will enable him to win the affection of the girl of his dreams. To find it he must discover the story of the Lorax, the grumpy yet charming creature who fights to protect his world.
- Runtime
- 1h 26m
- Director
- Kyle Balda, Chris Renaud
- Cast
- Danny DeVito, Zac Efron, Ed Helms
Home Makeover (2010)
Animation · Comedy · Family · N/A
When a social worker visits Gru’s house to assess its suitability for children, chaos ensues. Margo, Edith, and Agnes, along with the ever-mischievous Minions, scramble to give the home a makeover in record time. Their attempts to create a warm and inviting environment quickly spiral into hilarity as the Minions’ unorthodox methods lea...
- Runtime
- 5m
- Director
- Kyle Balda, Samuel Tourneux
- Cast
- Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, Elsie Kate Fisher
Orientation Day (2010)
Animation · Comedy · Family · N/A
The Minions embark on their first day of work, eager to prove themselves in their new roles. After watching a hilariously outdated 'Initiation Video,' three rookie Minions take on bomb-carrying duty. Predictably, their enthusiasm quickly spirals into chaos as they bungle the simplest of tasks. Packed with slapstick comedy and the Minio...
- Runtime
- 4m
- Director
- Kyle Balda, Samuel Tourneux
- Cast
- Pierre Coffin, Rob Huebel







Comments
Talk about the film with other members