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Title: Genius Pushed to the Edge
Review: The loving, but possessive, father's effect on his son is poignant. The son's genius is recognized, and he is pushed toward realizing it, but simultaneously held back, creating tensions in the son which ultimately lead to a breakdown. We understand that they are Jewish. The scene of the father looking over the fence, is at once foreboding of, and reminiscent of, peering through the fence at Auschwitz, or some other Nazi extermination camp. The son's decision to break away in deciding to pursue training in England, saves him from the Holocaust, but can only increase the guilt feelings that he experiences. The use of Rakhmaninov's Third Piano Concerto, profoundly comples and beautiful, gives a rich texture to the tapestry of this moving film biography. Art is redeeming, and after years of breakdown and suffering, the master pianist finds his own salvation, and his ability to accept love.
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