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Stephen Dillane, Rade Sherbedgia, Rosamund Pike, Ayelet Zurer, Robbie Kay ... see more see more... , Ed Stoppard , Rachelle Lefevre , Nina Dobrev , Themis Bazaka , Diego Matamoros , Sarah Orenstein , Larissa Laskin , Daniel Kash , Yorgos Karamihos , Danai Skiadi

Author Anne Michaels's poetic novel comes to the screen courtesy of director Jeremy Podeswa in this period drama concerning a Holocaust survivor who remains eternally haunted by the uncertain fate of ... read more read more...his beloved sister. Athos (Rade Sherbedgia) is an archeologist conducting a dig in Nazi-occupied Poland. When Athos discovers a seven-year-old boy named Jakob (Robbie Kay) hiding near the work site, he smuggles the frightened boy back to Greece and promises to shelter him when the Nazis come knocking there as well. Having previously witnessed the brutal massacre of his family at the hands of Hitler's henchmen, Jakob longs to find out what fate befell his sister, Bella (Nina Dobrev) -- who wasn't executed with the majority of his other relatives but subsequently disappeared without a trace. After the war, Athos and Jakob emigrate to Toronto in hopes of starting a new life. But even after all these years, Jakob (Stephen Dillane) can't seem to shake the grief of losing his family and not knowing what ever became of Bella. Later, when Jakob marries the radiant Alex (Rosamund Pike), the bright-eyed beauty does her best to illuminate the dark corners within her husband's soul. To maintain one's connection to ghosts requires a certain shunning of the living, however, and only when Jakob discovers the strength to let go of his painful past will he finally be able to move forward into the future. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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62% liked it

33,155 ratings

Critics

68% liked it

73 critics

R, 1 hr. 45 min.

Directed by: Jeremy Podeswa

Release Date: May 2, 2008

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DVD Release Date: October 14, 2008

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Flixster Reviews (255)

  • itsjustme2004
    May 17, 2011
    itsjustme2004
    A Holocaust story about memory, intimacy, revelation, and redemption. My only complaint here was the very slow pace. It really drags its feet. I am sure the pacing worked better in written form, and the movie did inspire me to seek out more about this author. The novel, I am told... read more, is written in prose form, and is as beautifully written as the story it tells. The movie comes across in the same exact way, and takes some patience to appreciate it, I guess.
  • CrookedlittleB33
    September 14, 2009
    CrookedlittleB33
    A-bloody-mazing. I need this book, the story is as intriguing as it is compelling and it is told in a really beautiful manner. To be honest, I'm kinda sad most of you have picked this as a 'not interested'. I guess it's not for everyone. [review TBC].
  • Redlats
    September 14, 2009
    Redlats
    I found this a gripping movie. Life is not easy for Holocaust survivors. We follow the life of a Jakob who looses he parents and sister to the Nazi's. He has troubles letting his memories go - he needs to retain them, but not forgetting means he cannot love. The acting by Rob... read morebie Kay who played Jakob as a nine year old was amazing.
  • bbcfloridabound
    July 27, 2009
    bbcfloridabound
    A very moving story of a young boy who during the occupation of Nazi Germany, watches a soldiers execute his family and drag off his sister to the woods to do who knows what, we see his life story, the man who harbored him, and the relationships he has as he grows older. Its a go... read moreod story, but for adults. Have to give it 4 stars.
  • matertenebraum
    April 30, 2008
    matertenebraum
    Moving, beautifully crafted, unbelievable performances, direct, poetic, raw. I was so moved by this film, I find it hard to compose complete sentences to describe it. This movie touched and inspired every cell in my body. The acting by the entire cast was precise and authentic. H... read moreow were they able to compile this cast? How did they manage to extract these performances? The writing is intelligent, sensitive, moving and direct. This is a rare script. Each scene in this movie required such an investment by the entire film crew to reach its rare authenticity. The courage it would take to produce this film escapes me. While the result deserves the highest awards, this is not a film that was made for the sake of popularity. This film feels like a labor of love and the result of the truest of intentions. My hat is off to anyone who participated in this film.
  • gator681
    May 12, 2008
    gator681
    [font=Century Gothic]In "Fugitive Pieces," Jakob(Robbie Kay) lives with his parents and older sister, Bella(Nina Dobrev), in Poland before World War II. When the Nazis invade, they tell Jakob to hide but he takes off and makes it as far as an archaeological site. There, he is r... read moreescued by Athos(Rade Serbedzija), and brought to his native Greece.[/font]
    [font=Century Gothic][/font]
    [font=Century Gothic]Decades later, Jakob(Stephen Dillane) has many reasons to celebrate while living in Toronto. His first year wedding anniversary to the free-spirited Alex(Rosamund Pike) is coming up and his first book is about to published. Despite that, Jakob is still gripped by memories from when he was a child...[/font]
    [font=Century Gothic][/font]
    [font=Century Gothic][/font]
    [font=Century Gothic]"Fugitive Pieces" is an exquisitely smart movie about memory which is reflected in the film's structure which jumps around in time to simulate the process of remembrance. Whereas Alex lives purely for the moment, Jakob is drawn inexorably to the past, not only as a historian, but also to face those questions that can never fully be answered. After he witnessed his father being killed, he wonders what exactly did happen to Bella. On another level, there is the larger question of why the Nazis did the unthinkable. In the end, this excellent movie makes a valid point why the study of history is so very important.[/font]
  • weelee18
    April 15, 2009
    weelee18
    Fugitive Pieces - He found himself in the love around him..



    Fragments of past and present create a haunting kaleidoscope of words and emotions. Lyrical and complex, Jeremy Podeswa's adaptation of Anne Michael's beloved novel builds into a breathtaking mosaic as fragm... read moreents of the past and present reveal the inner depths of a writer who can't let go of the ghosts that haunt him. Athos is directing an archaological dig in Nazi-occupied Poland when he discovers a little boy hiding. After witnessing the massacre of members of his family, seven-year-old Jakob does not know the fate of his beloved sister Bella - a mystery that will haunt him for the rest of his life. As Jakob grows into a man, he becomes progressively more consumed by his family's tragedy and his longing for Bella, coloring his relationships. A truly moving and unforgettable story.



    good movie..
  • gms1yygy
    December 20, 2008
    gms1yygy
    The box says, "Courageous... a film of special humanity", "visual and emotional pleasure", uplifting note of hope and love", and "as beautiful and touching a movie as you're going to see this year". I think it's all of that and more. There are layers and layers in this movie and... read more it's beautiful to hear and see and leaves you with much to think about. Don't see it for fun; it's much better than that.
  • gizmo20001us
    April 30, 2008
    gizmo20001us
    " A world War 2 story worth seeing, action, love, suspense, for a fugitive on the run, from adulthood. Worth seeing.

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Critic Reviews

Lisa Kennedy
July 11, 2008
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post

Fugitive Pieces delivers its own evocative poetry. Full Review

Jonathan F. Richards
July 11, 2008
Jonathan F. Richards, Film.com

The great Serbian actor Rade Serbedzija gives Fugitive Pieces its heart. Full Review

J. R. Jones
June 13, 2008
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

Tasteful, unremarkable art-house fare, rescued from complete irrelevance by Stephen Dillane's bottled-up performance as a writer scarred by the Holocaust. Full Review

Roger Ebert
June 13, 2008
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

If Fugitive Pieces has a message, it is that life can heal us, if we allow it. Full Review

Sid Smith
June 13, 2008
Sid Smith, Chicago Tribune

Fugitive Pieces is often quiet, lyrical, reflective and underplayed. It doesn't minimize Holocaust suffering--far from it--but it strives, often successfully, to unearth the innate good in people Anne... Full Review

Stephen Hunter
May 16, 2008
Stephen Hunter, Washington Post

Everyone in the movie...is fabulous, and Podeswa has an ability to distill history into a few powerful images. Full Review

Steven Rea
May 15, 2008
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

The cast is uniformly attractive and earnest. But the romanticized image of the tortured artist is the stuff of stereotype unless it's leavened with humor, or limned in art. In Fugitive Pieces, neithe... Full Review

Wesley Morris
May 9, 2008
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe

Feels less like a redemptive survivor's story and more like a commercial for some terrific Mediterranean resort. Full Review

Richard Nilsen
May 8, 2008
Richard Nilsen, Arizona Republic

Bit by fragmented bit, it all adds up to a one-note portrait of its protagonist. Granted, that one note is a powerful one. Full Review

Kirk Honeycutt
May 2, 2008
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter

This lyrical drama about memory and survivor's guilt taps a deep reservoir of emotions.

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