Fugitive Pieces

When I sat down in my chair in front of an eerie red movie screen, I did not expect the roller coaster ride of emotion that was in store for me.  Jakob’s journey through life is heartbreaking.  As he desperately tries to release himself from the terrifying kidnapping of his family by the Nazis, he finds it almost impossible to let another person completely in.  He spends much of his time alone with a trusty journal, the only entity he has allowed to fully and completely hear his thoughts.  This is precisely why I feel that the significant turning point in the story was when Jakob allowed Michaela to read the journal.  The words that he uttered about Michaela were overflowing with love and freedom, for she had been the force that finally released him from the confines of his past.  This is quite a contrast from the words that were spoken about his first wife Alex, in which he felt so trapped and forlorn.  The differences in the interactions between Jakob and each of his women is quite tangible.  I believe that he was trying to use the relationship with Alex to fill the void of his family.  Alternatively, Jakob’s relationship with Michaela had blossomed on another level, one in which he was completely open to love.  The acting was so phenomenal between these lovers that I forgot that they were acting.  Each moment between them was bursting with passion, even when they were doing something as simple as sitting across the room from each other in silence.  It is within this silence that it is quite obvious that Jakob is finally happy.  I absolutely loved this movie.