The History of Love (4 Stars)

Ah, the bliss! Lying in the grass with my head on Gemma Arterton's lap! It's a moment that should last forever. But that's not to be. The year is 1939. The place is Poland. The two lovers are Jews.

The film, made in 2016, is based on a best-selling 2005 novel with the same name by Nicole Krauss. Three Jewish boys, Leo, Bruno and Zvi, grow up in a small village in Poland. All three boys are in love with Alma, played by the delicious Gemma Arterton. As a teenager she enjoys their devotion and flirts with all of them, but she only loves Leo. He tells her every day that she's the most loved woman on Earth.

In September 1939 the war with Germany begins. Alma's parents send her to America to save her life. The boys are less fortunate. Their families aren't rich enough to pay for a flight. Leo and Alma are separated, but he promises to love her forever, even if they never see one another again.

The Germans arrive and slaughter most of the people in the village. Leo flees to Russia. In exile, he writes a book about his romance with Alma, "The History of Love". After the war he returns to Poland. He meets Zvi, who tells him that Bruno is dead. Zvi is planning to emigrate to New York, so Leo gives him his hand-written manuscript to deliver it to Alma.

A year later, Leo also emigrates to New York. He visits Alma, where he receives good news and bad news. The good news is that she was pregnant when she arrived in New York, so he has a 10-year-old son. The bad news is that Alma thought Leo was dead, so she married someone else. She tells Leo she never wants to see him again. "I still love you, but it's for the best".

50 years pass. Then the real story begins. Leo, still single, still in love with Alma, discovers that everything he knew was a lie. He's been betrayed by his childhood friends. Zvi has published "The History of Love" under his own name. Bruno isn't dead. He went to New York, and he's the man who married Alma.

However, Leo's novel has had a lasting impression on lives. A teenage girl called Alma, named after the character in the novel, tries to piece together the mystery.

This is an epic love story. I now feel inspired to read the book. Judging by the brief synopsis on Wikipedia, the film deviates from the novel in some important details. I'll have to let you know at a future date which version I find better.

This is a Romanian film, made in English, which is why it's never been released in England or America. That's unfortunate. The film has been released on Blu-ray in Spain, Germany and most other European countries.

Success Rate:  - 43.4