Fugitive Pieces

Distractingly jumping back and forth in time, the film falters badly in the modern era, yet its tale is still a moving one.

Nostalgic, deeply felt, and refreshingly astute, "Fugitive Pieces" is something of a rare bird these days%u2014a big-budget, transnational historical drama that actually justifies its scope and subject matter with more than visual opulence.

Plays out with such daunting high-mindedness it makes The Reader look like Transformers.

Fugitive Pieces is all about glorifying a state of humorless suspension, where you dwell stoically in the past until, suddenly, you are rescued by a demure, unchallenging version of romantic love. It's depressing.