Not to be a spoilsport with the first mediocre review of this film, THE NOTEBOOK is either unsure of what it wants to achieve or weak in it's execution of it's goal. The too brief introduction of the twins, their parents and their world plops us into their grandmother's home with little sympathy or understanding of their plight. The town, it's denizens and occupiers, are described only through the twins' narration so we're not allowed to form understanding or opinions of our own on such. The brothers' comprehension and reaction to their circumstances was simply not justifiable or evident to this viewer. What appear to be plot points - grandmom's jewelry, the soldier's arsenal, mom's infidelity - ultimately do little to enhance what appears to be THE NOTEBOOK's point - our young heroes' sad adaptation to their environment. Finally, no doubt THE NOTEBOOK's ending is meant to naturally flow from the story preceding it. I saw no relevance whatsoever. Because a film is foreign, sparse, harsh and in B&W doesn't automatically assign it merit. In contrast, similar setting, motif, characters, etc., has recently been used to great effect in Pawel Pawlikowski's IDA, a Polish film. Indeed, this film would make more sense; i.e., it's confusion forgiven, if it were a true account of a set of twins' ordeal. As an afterthought, and without sarcasm intended, Piroska Molná as "grandmother" does a fine acting performance.
Review of The Notebook
