Mesmerizingly beautiful, incredible.

Rating: 10/10 (12 January 2006)

This movie is wonderfully executed. It would be a shame to know too much about this movie before watching it. Therefore I leave NO SPOILERS, they would only ruin the movie for you. I almost never feel a movie deserves a ten, but this is one of the few that do. The movie traverses several continents and spans almost four centuries. There are incredibly realistic settings and foreign languages that made me feel as though I were there. The sweeping cinematography and the music are absolutely amazing. The storyline is very moving and touches upon a host of emotions. A majority of the movie has foreign language, but you can activate the subtitles. I watched it first without the subtitles and was so taken by the movie, I watched it a second time with the titles and realized I had missed very little. The actions and facial expressions of the people do an excellent job of revealing their emotions. Trying to read the titles became distracting. I didn't need them so I turned them off. There were several instances where the hauntingly beautiful music gave me goosebumps. I certainly hope it touches you as deeply as it did me. As the movie progressed, I began to suspect the fortune teller was speaking not of the life of the expectant woman sitting before her, but of the violin. That point is not made clear until the final minutes of the movie. To tell you more would ruin the ending. When you learn how the violin acquired its captivating shade of red you will most likely be stunned at first, but then touched by the thought behind it and the bittersweetness of the moment. I am certain the violin masters' heart was breaking as he applied the colour.