Dov is an arrogant child prodigy, violin player, from a Polish Jewish family. His father decides to take him to London, to study and there he leaves Dov, boarding with an English family, just at the eve of WWII. You can already see how this is heading south and it does, but at snail's pace.
During the Blitz, Dov starts an uneasy friendship with Martin, the English family son, and they became best buddies. At the end of the war and after a useless search, it is feared - but not confirmed - that Dov's family ended up in Treblinka.
Dov is now a sullen, nasty and mean youngster, but still a hell of a violin player. Angry at everybody he renounces the Jewish religion and embarks on a self-destructive course until the eve of his first solo concert. Then he disappears, ruining his adoptive family. The bulk of the plot is Martin's search for Dov, 35 years later.
The film is edited with three interspersed timelines and it does not make for an easy viewing.
Even considering his suffering, Dov is a most unpleasant, selfish, destructive character who does not elicit much sympathy. Martin is supposed to be the best person, but he's merely a plot device, to enhance Dov's uniqueness.
The end is annoyingly predictable, if anything enhancing once more what a prima donna, unlovable, egotistic character Dov is.
During the Blitz, Dov starts an uneasy friendship with Martin, the English family son, and they became best buddies. At the end of the war and after a useless search, it is feared - but not confirmed - that Dov's family ended up in Treblinka.
Dov is now a sullen, nasty and mean youngster, but still a hell of a violin player. Angry at everybody he renounces the Jewish religion and embarks on a self-destructive course until the eve of his first solo concert. Then he disappears, ruining his adoptive family. The bulk of the plot is Martin's search for Dov, 35 years later.
The film is edited with three interspersed timelines and it does not make for an easy viewing.
Even considering his suffering, Dov is a most unpleasant, selfish, destructive character who does not elicit much sympathy. Martin is supposed to be the best person, but he's merely a plot device, to enhance Dov's uniqueness.
The end is annoyingly predictable, if anything enhancing once more what a prima donna, unlovable, egotistic character Dov is.