Fugitive Pieces

Based on the novel by Anne Michaels, Fugitive Pieces tells the time-spanning story of Jakob – who we first met as a small boy during World War II and eventually follow through his tumultuous adulthood. A consistent within Jakob’s life is his adoptive godfather (Rade Serbedzija’s Athos), who takes the boy in after his family is murdered by Nazis. Directed with overt sterility by Jeremy Podeswa, Fugitive Pieces is one of those very slow-paced and very serious efforts that’s not quite dull exactly – though the film is almost entirely lacking in compelling sequences. Podeswa’s inability to elicit any feelings of emotion within the viewer ultimately ensures that Jakob’s plight is awfully hard to connect to, and there’s little doubt that the film’s deliberate vibe (it just seems to go on and on and on) is exacerbated by the inclusion of several plot elements that feel awfully random (including Jakob’s third-act relationship with a museum curator). The downbeat conclusion comes off as flat and needless, while star Stephen Dillane’s impenetrable performance makes it exceedingly difficult to sympathize with his character’s various problems. Fugitive Pieces might hold some appeal for those familiar with Michaels’ novel, but, bottom line, Podeswa’s arm’s-length modus operandi is sure to alienate the majority of viewers.

** out of ****