Better than the sum of its parts

Rating: 6/10 (20 May 2018)

A collection of five stories as we follow The Red Violin through its lifetime spanning centuries. Each individual story is too weak to stand on its own. But have some patience to hold them in place for 2 hours, and trust that it will finally come together at the end.
The film's fatal flaw is that I was unconvinced of the love between the violin maker and his wife. He seemed to live for his craft first and his family a distant second. She seemed to just get bored at home while he neglected her for his work. A more convincing relationship would have set a hauntingly powerful foundation for the subsequent stories. Instead the middle pieces remained flimsy until Samuel L Jackson glued it all together.
The total sum is a solid film that falls short of its potential. Beautiful violin music is a common thread throughout. But it feels more the product of a skilled 17th century craftsman than the undying love between a husband and wife.