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
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
Excellent Resources fosr World War II When Used with the Book:
Dustin Hoffman's poignant introduction reveals his passion that young people today never forget the horrors of the holocaust. To my surprise, the film proved to be a most riveting and attention-holding movie, "The Devil's Arithmetic" is geared to teenagers. Modern teenager Hannah Stern, feeling no attachment to her religion, resents being made to participate in her Aunt Eva's Passover celebrations,. As her relatives, all concentration camp survivors, try to recount their experiences, Hannah turns away,... more info
Please remember me -- it matters that we always remember the costs, and more importantly the people:
Kirsten Dunst as Hannah is an older teenager who could care less about her ethnic past, the history of her people, the Jews. When various family members try to share with her stories of what they went through during the Holocaust, Hannah gave lip service just smiling wishing she was elsewhere. This reminds me of myself as a teenager as well as many of our friends and family. If it did not directly impact me / us, why should we care? Hannah some how finds herself in the past with her aunt, now... more info
DISTURBING, TRUE, EXCELLENT:
THE DEVIL'S ARITHMETIC The Holocaust happened and is a horrible part of history. It is also a delicate subject to discuss, read about, or watch on the big screen. I rented this movie because I am a fan of Ms. Dunst and because this time period in history fascinates me. I can barely stand to think about the Holocaust, yet it is something that keeps calling my name, so I try to read about it and learn all I can. This movie -- also a book -- was well done. A young girl, a typical teenager who... more info
