Movie 20

One of my sons is learning about the Holocaust in school this month. One of the class assignments is to watch a movie about WWII or the Holocaust with your parents. We picked a made for cable movie, The Devil's Arithmetic, which is based on the book by Jane Yolen. My wife and I had read the book some time ago and enjoyed it. We figured this would be a good movie to introduce the subject to the kids.

As far as I can tell, the movie is historically accurate. Well, there is the framing device of a girl going back in time to experience the things her family went through back then, but the parts about the Holocaust seemed accurate. The going-back-in-time portions probably worked better in the book, but it put forward the idea that these are events never to be forgotten. "Always remember" is a common phrase in the movie.

I was surprised at the actors I recognized. Kirsten Dunst and Brittany Murphy did an excellent job carrying the movie. It was interesting to watch the main character grow to realize the importance of her family's heritage. Perhaps it only offers a glimpse of what the Jewish people went through, but it is a glimpse that helps you understand the toll it took on individuals who survived.

So it was a good movie to watch for a school assignment on the Holocaust. And as such, even though it is a made for cable movie (it was done for Showtime in 1999) I have no problem counting it as one of my fiftyfifty.me flicks. Recommended as an introduction to this sensitive subject.