Based on the popular novel by Jane Yolen, a typical American teenager gets transported back in time and experiences firsthand the horrors of the Holocaust and discovers the meaning of her family's heritage.
Executive producers Dustin Hoffman and Mimi Rogers present the truth of the Holocaust so a new generation can understand why it must never be forgotten. Kirsten Dunst plays Hannah, a modern teen more concerned with trends than history. During the traditional Passover dinner, she zones out as her relatives harp about concentration camps. But then Hannah passes through a portal to the past, where she becomes her own ancestor in Poland during the Nazi persecution of the Jews.
Director Donna Deitch provides an infinite library of Holocaust detail, re-creating the period with minute dedication. Haunting images, every costume, every hair, every light and shadow conspire to maintain a sense of desolate desperation. Suspense pervades as escapes fail and mothers with newborns are taken away. Only the magical context of the story, taken from the original children's novel by Jane Yolen, allows for a life-affirming ending. The performances may not be multifaceted but, considering the single-mindedness of the tale, the deep commitment of the actors makes every moment real and meaningful. Dunst seems able to carry a movie herself, and Brittany Murphy is mesmerizing as Hannah's sweet cousin Rivkah.
The message is powerfully direct, but the film avoids extreme violence in deference to young audiences. The theme is enshrined in the Rivkah's words: "We must stay alive to tell everyone what we've been through." Indeed, when Hannah returns to the present, she is a new woman, with a profound love of her culture and a religious respect for the value of all human life. --Lloyd Chesley
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Great movie:
Every teen should watch this movie to understand the holocaust better, evershould watch it to and be reminded of what is really important and ers like family and faithmatt y adult
The Devil's Arithmetic:
The film, "The Devil's Arithmetic" is very moving. The details were uncanny and the actress did a very good job. I enjoyed it very much and hope that others will be able to see how moving it was.
Accompaniment to Anne Frank:
My teaching colleague and I showed this to eighth graders as an accompaniment to an Anne Frank unit. The students were clearly moved by it. We have now made this a standard part of our curriculum. We feel it encourages students to seek further information about the Holocaust, meeting the goal of any teaching opportunity. While it touches on the horrors our fellow human beings faced, it still respects the sensitive nature of some our less mature students. I highly endorse this movie.
Excellent depiction:
Kirsten Dunst is bored with her family's Sabbath dinner and her old aunt, who was in a concentration camp. When she answers the door for 'Elijah' during the dinner, she is transported immediately to her aunt's life as a young girl in WW II Poland and Germany. She knows she is from the current time but realizes what is happening to her. Without giving away the story line, suffice it to say she learns what her aunt endured and also learns never to forget this time in history. She also learns how one person... more info
