Well done drama

Rating: 9/10 (10 February 2008)

Well, I was torn between grading it an 8 or a 9. My wife tipped the vote. You see, the movies that make her cry are good movies to her. The film is a snapshot of pre-war England and a few scenes during the war itself. The perspective of the characters changes so that we can see the different ways the story could have been told.
Now, what can I say? The level of detail makes this movie good. The acting is very nice. The soundtrack is good (and I especially liked the typewriter effect in the music that tells us without a shadow of a doubt that we are watching a movie based on a book, therefore it has a point).
All these qualities are included in my grade, but my personal opinion is not. You see, I am kind of tired of the emotional tension between people that have strong feelings towards each other, but that they cannot consume. Women find this romantic, I find it plain annoying. Well, of course, you would say, men are all about the consummation, but that's not the point. Does one feel better of their own lives when watching the pitiful mishaps of others? It doesn't work on me. Do I need to experience sadness from time to time in order to feel alive? Certainly not.
Therefore my conclusion is that this is a great film to see with your beloved, yet not one that actually has a point - except from a historical perspective. You don't get to learn any useful skills out of the movie, nor do you get to see some great new story that no one has seen before. It's just a plain old boring drama that is excellent crafted.