'Emotional Arithmetic': Dreary by the numbers

(out of 4)
Starring Susan Sarandon, Christopher Plummer, Max von Sydow, Gabriel Byrne, Roy Dupuis. Directed by Paolo Barzman.99 minutes. At the Varsity, Grande. PG
A piece of advice for Canadian filmmakers – don’t make movies out of dreary CanLit novels. They’re easy enough to spot.
The late Matt Cohen’s 1990 novel, Emotional Arithmetic, was full of people haunted by memories of the Holocaust, and in Canadian fiction that’s a sure tip-off we’re in for plenty of wintry blasts from the intellectual fog machine.
At least the weather’s fine in this screen adaptation. It’s 1985 and Melanie Winters (Susan Sarandon), a Holocaust survivor, lives in a farmhouse in the Eastern Townships with a splendid view, marred only by the presence of her husband, history professor David Winters (Christopher Plummer) who has affairs with his students and acts like Mr. Grumpy at home. Plummer’s cold-fish portrayal is almost too convincing for comfort.
Melanie is a one-woman Amnesty International, clipping out newspaper stories of various global atrocities and filing them in the attic.
"We have six million Jews living in the attic," her husband complains at one point. This is not to mention victims of the Khmer Rouge. Understandably Melanie has to take what she calls "crazy pills" to deal with her emotions.
"You’re caught between a crazy bitch and a moral bankrupt," she tells her grown son, Benjamin (Roy Dupuis). "I’m sorry."
On the scene arrive two of Melanie’s old friends. Jakob Bronski (Max von Sydow) survived not only Nazi death camps but the Gulag. While a prisoner at a transit camp for deportation of Jews in Drancy, France, he befriended and helped save the lives of two children, Melanie, and an Irish lad named Christopher Lewis (Gabriel Byrne).
Now the three are reunited for the first time, much to the displeasure of Melanie’s husband.

thestar.com

Tags: black, drink, eyed, susan

15 Responses to “'Emotional Arithmetic': Dreary by the numbers”

on 17 May 2008 at 10:54 am Melva

Methinks you may be a little too fair and balanced.
on 17 May 2008 at 11:44 am Cecelia

there is virtually zero discussion of Israeli atrocities against Palestinians, and non-stop coverage of Palestinian atrocities against Israel. If one only knew the situation from US television, you would assume an open-and-shut case for Israel. It’s virtually the same with the USA vs. anybody. God Hates America, America is Doomed
on 17 May 2008 at 12:35 pm Marla

I’ll go tell all those Mizrachi Jews who relocated from Arab countries to Israel (forced out by the bitter Arabs) that they’re actually white Europeans!
on 17 May 2008 at 1:25 pm Dianne

Firing missiles into a civilian area with a prayer it kills as many Jews as possible isn’t fighting back, its a war crime.Your 22 year old analogy has nothing to do with it, Hamas is killing Israeli civilians not wearing a bikini 5 sizes too small.They haven’t killed any not for lack of trying but the competence of Israeli military. And a lot fewer Palestinians would die if Hamas stopped launching rockets from school roof tops.
on 17 May 2008 at 2:16 pm Ludovic

I dunno, just ex-israeli soldier sounds better to me.It’s nitpicking is what it is.
on 17 May 2008 at 3:07 pm Wyatt

http://flapsblog.com/?p=4065
on 17 May 2008 at 3:57 pm Sharmaine

I think you’re wrong to think that everybody here knows everything that happens regarding people in Palestine acting against the Israelis. I know this as a fact after having debates with quite a few people here during these various “flame wars”. They are often quite oblivious to that other side that reddit never reports on because these kinds of people have already assigned all the blame on the Israelis and therefore tune out of mainstream coverage of the conflict where coverage of the other side is more prevalent, as you say (and I obviously agree with that).But, that’s not really the worst part. The worst part is that, being constantly bombarded with just one side of the argument, again and again and again, in ever more graphic terms produces a sort of psychologically entrenched irrationality in their minds that the actions of the Palestinians can either be excused outright, or lead them to believe that certain factually corroborated accusations of the actions of the Palestinians are outright lies.
on 17 May 2008 at 4:48 pm Wilma

Of course it is evil to kill children, whether they are Jews or Palestinians. But this post is about the human righs violations by the Isreali army. Diluting the guilt of the Isrealis by bring up atrocities committed by the Palestinians is not justifiable and is typical of the Israeli apologists.
on 17 May 2008 at 5:38 pm Shelley

I can see why you and your kind have been oven-fodder for centuries. Things never change…until every last one of you is gone.
on 17 May 2008 at 6:29 pm Katlyn

the pdf of the handout (for firsthand source junkies)http://breakingthesilence.org.il/UserFiles/File//Shovrim_Shtika_English_Int.pdf
on 17 May 2008 at 7:19 pm Dorinda

isn’t it ex-Israeli soldiers?
on 17 May 2008 at 8:10 pm Fancy

Just stirring the pot…
on 17 May 2008 at 9:01 pm Wallace

No. They’ll have reserve duties.
on 17 May 2008 at 9:51 pm Carmel

Shovrim Shtika.org (breaking the silence)

on 17 May 2008 at 10:54 am Melva

Methinks you may be a little too fair and balanced.

on 17 May 2008 at 11:44 am Cecelia

there is virtually zero discussion of Israeli atrocities against Palestinians, and non-stop coverage of Palestinian atrocities against Israel. If one only knew the situation from US television, you would assume an open-and-shut case for Israel. It’s virtually the same with the USA vs. anybody. God Hates America, America is Doomed

on 17 May 2008 at 12:35 pm Marla

I’ll go tell all those Mizrachi Jews who relocated from Arab countries to Israel (forced out by the bitter Arabs) that they’re actually white Europeans!

on 17 May 2008 at 1:25 pm Dianne

Firing missiles into a civilian area with a prayer it kills as many Jews as possible isn’t fighting back, its a war crime.Your 22 year old analogy has nothing to do with it, Hamas is killing Israeli civilians not wearing a bikini 5 sizes too small.They haven’t killed any not for lack of trying but the competence of Israeli military. And a lot fewer Palestinians would die if Hamas stopped launching rockets from school roof tops.

on 17 May 2008 at 2:16 pm Ludovic

I dunno, just ex-israeli soldier sounds better to me.It’s nitpicking is what it is.

on 17 May 2008 at 3:07 pm Wyatt

http://flapsblog.com/?p=4065

on 17 May 2008 at 3:57 pm Sharmaine

I think you’re wrong to think that everybody here knows everything that happens regarding people in Palestine acting against the Israelis. I know this as a fact after having debates with quite a few people here during these various “flame wars”. They are often quite oblivious to that other side that reddit never reports on because these kinds of people have already assigned all the blame on the Israelis and therefore tune out of mainstream coverage of the conflict where coverage of the other side is more prevalent, as you say (and I obviously agree with that).But, that’s not really the worst part. The worst part is that, being constantly bombarded with just one side of the argument, again and again and again, in ever more graphic terms produces a sort of psychologically entrenched irrationality in their minds that the actions of the Palestinians can either be excused outright, or lead them to believe that certain factually corroborated accusations of the actions of the Palestinians are outright lies.

on 17 May 2008 at 4:48 pm Wilma

Of course it is evil to kill children, whether they are Jews or Palestinians. But this post is about the human righs violations by the Isreali army. Diluting the guilt of the Isrealis by bring up atrocities committed by the Palestinians is not justifiable and is typical of the Israeli apologists.

on 17 May 2008 at 5:38 pm Shelley

I can see why you and your kind have been oven-fodder for centuries. Things never change…until every last one of you is gone.

on 17 May 2008 at 6:29 pm Katlyn

the pdf of the handout (for firsthand source junkies)http://breakingthesilence.org.il/UserFiles/File//Shovrim_Shtika_English_Int.pdf

on 17 May 2008 at 7:19 pm Dorinda

isn’t it ex-Israeli soldiers?

on 17 May 2008 at 8:10 pm Fancy

Just stirring the pot…

on 17 May 2008 at 9:01 pm Wallace

No. They’ll have reserve duties.

on 17 May 2008 at 9:51 pm Carmel

Shovrim Shtika.org (breaking the silence)

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