"The Song of Names" is bittersweet drama under the adroit direction of François Girard, who gave us the Oscar-winning "The Red Violin".
The movie, which is executive produced by Anant Singh, opens with the much-anticipated debut concert of Dovidl Rapaport (Jonah Hauer-King), a Polish Jewish virtuoso violinist. There's just one problem. While the audience is seated and the orchestra is ready, the star is nowhere to be found.
Gilbert (Stanley Townsend), who raised Dovidl since he came to live with him and his family at the age of 9, is distraught. He is also left out of pocket as he financed the concert.
Luke Doyle as a young Dovidl Rapoport with Misha Handley as Martin Simmonds in a scene from "The Song of Names".
Picture: Supplied
Gilbert’s son, Martin Simmonds (Gerran Howell), is also at a loss for words. Having inherited a “brother”, the two have been inseparable growing up. That fateful night in 1951 haunts Martin (Tim Roth) for close-on four decades as he wonders what happened to Dovidl.
But he gets a glimmer of hope when a chain of events takes him on an obsessive mission to find Dovidl, who may be alive.
And so the story revisits how Dovidl first came into their lives. The 9 year old was cocky and street smart, which irked Martin (Misha Handley), who resented his space being invaded by this stranger. That initial hostility melted away and a friendship was forged. Over the years, the bond turned brotherly.
But Dovidl, who is from Warsaw in Poland, never stopped grieving the loss of his entire family. It was something that haunted him since his move to London, which was just before World War II when Germany invaded Poland.
Much of the story is told in flashbacks. Girard does a masterful job juggling the complexities of a strained family relationship with loss and religion.
Tim Roth as the adult Martin Simmonds with Clive Owen as Dovidl Rapoport in a scene from "The Song of Names".
Picture: Supplied
A turning point in the narrative is when Martin gets the answers he has been looking for and Dovidl (Clive Owen), who has now embraced a more spiritual path in life, gets his redemption, too.
There is poetic justice in the way that Girard steers the story.
The child stars in the film deliver sublime performances. In fact, they are one of the biggest strengths in the film, along with Roth and Owen, of course.
Roth is exceptional. He goes through a range of emotions with such gravitas. Owen matches his performance, beautifully. He plays his character with commendable conviction.
The cinematography and costumes in the movie deserve high-praise, too.
“The Song of Names” is a sublime piece of cinema, which is beautifully shot and enhanced by an incredibly exceptional cast.
“The Song of Names” is now showing on BoxOffice on DStv.