La solitude des nombres premiers

I watched this movie having waited for it almost since i heard a movie was going to be made about the book, and usually, personally at least, whenever i watch a movie based on a book i find it rather disappointing, however this is one of the few times i must say the contrary.

The setting is perfect, the distorted reality of being so far yet so close that is beautifully narrated in the book is spot on in the movie, and both characters are played beautifully by the leads, they captured every feeling, every expression and every look that the book conveys and put it on screen, however i must say that if one is to truly enjoy this movie one should read the book before as it is not very fast paced a movie and the frequent time jumps in movie will confuse a person, but for the ones who have read the book it will make perfect sense, and as a final word the ending is, in my opinion, (even thought it differs from the book) is how the book should have ended.

To put it unkindly, The Solitude of Prime Numbers is like a feature version of The Undatables. It's based around a boy and a girl who are drawn together through their common status of socially awkward outsiders, but who are so messed up that their encounters are painful and the chances of them actually ever getting together seem very slim.

Mattea is super-intelligent but moody, withdrawn and uncommunicative with his parents and friends. As a young boy he was close to his mentally disabled sister Michela and looked after her, calming her during her 'episodes' As a young man, Michela is no longer there, and there is clearly an experience in their childhood to be revealed that that has marked Mattea and left their mark on him in the form of self-harming.

Alice also has visible scars. She walks with a limp and is bullied by the other girls, who call her a gimp. One of the girls, Viola, becomes her friend however and encourages her to pursue her attraction to the sullen Mattea by inviting him to a party. Her family life however has also been troubled, with a pushy father and an unstable mother. Neither Mattea nor Alice fit in with the world around them and suffer at the hands and from the taunts of others, but it's nothing to the suffering and the pain that they inflict upon themselves over incidents in their childhood.

In terms of storyline it's as straightforward as that, but the structure of the film split into different time zones for both Mattea and Alice does complicate matters. Or not so much complicate as attempt to create a non-linear impression of a fractured mindset. It's a fractured past however that nonetheless shares echoes and correspondences between them, between past and present, between two people each trapped in their own worlds and in their pasts.

There are moments when you feel that some kind of escape or redemption might be within their grasp, where they might make a connection that could help them to face up to the past and escape from what the might become, but the traps of the mind keep preventing them from getting past the past. There are moments of melodrama and intensity, but good performances from Alba Rohrwacher and Luca Marinelli give a human face to the weight of torment that some people have to endure all their lives.

I haven't read book but was attracted by title. First 30 mins was good. Such promise. Sadly after that it was a complete waste of time. Rather than spend time writing a further review I can say Mendhak's review perfectly sums it up: "a jumble of time-lines and a storyline filled with teenage angst and pointless drama. It is also full of needlessly prolonged scenes that make no sense, but which you can feel the director congratulated himself over. Also, this movie has nothing to do with prime numbers. Prime numbers may have been mentioned in one or two sentences in the movie, but were never the focus. I wonder if there was a better reason in the book for using the words 'prime numbers'. " Don't waste your time on it...even the cinematography descended into rubbish after first 30 mins....

Having never read the book, the movie appears to be a jumble of time-lines and a storyline filled with teenage angst and pointless drama. It is also full of needlessly prolonged scenes that make no sense, but which you can feel the director congratulated himself over.

Also, this movie has nothing to do with prime numbers. Prime numbers may have been mentioned in one or two sentences in the movie, but were never the focus. I wonder if there was a better reason in the book for using the words 'prime numbers'.

The only redeeming quality of the movie was that the first half was interesting enough to watch.

The title of this movie was my prime stimulus to watch it: not only to deconstruct the meaning but also because a movie about math - apparently - might provide a unique filmic experience, I thought. Well ... I'm correct about the first, but not the second.

Happily for viewers, it's not all about math. But the story is about a young man who is, at an early age, recognized as a math genius. We follow him, Mattia (Luca Marinelli) and his childhood companion, Alice (Alba Rohrwacher), as they both grow up, through their teen years and on to adulthood. Both are introverted to the point of almost total withdrawal; both indulge in aberrant behaviors; both experience intense personal and psychic pain early in life which heightens their isolation; but, also, both recognize each other for what they are - primal individuals unable to communicate according to society's dictates.

For the next twenty plus years, they each try to establish a lasting relationship with each other. During the course of that time, they briefly meet, in person, perhaps on five or six occasions; at the end of the story, Alice sends a short, urgent letter, to which Mattia responds in person. At all other times, we see their lives unfold individually as they each grapple with the many obnoxious (or helpful) people who intrude upon their solitary existences.

Some viewers might find the plot too slow; indeed, a few sets and scenes do include long static shots, particularly facial close-ups. What's more annoying, though, is the elliptical structure of the story as it cuts between three different time periods; which I'm sure will tend to confuse some or even many viewers. Having read the novel - brilliant writing which worked exceedingly well as a linear narrative - I'm still puzzled why the director decided upon disjointed flashbacks. Visually, it doesn't work well at all; frankly, it lessens the dramatic tension, especially when compared with the novel.

My overarching criticism, however, concerns the ending, the resolution to Mattia's and Alice's solitary anguish. In the novel, it ends realistically and appropriately, I thought. This movie's end is, unfortunately, hopelessly Hollywood.

The production is competent, although I think the music is too loud at times. The cast and acting are fine. In view of my above comments, though, my recommendation is: read the novel, forget the movie. Give it 5 out of 10, barely.

May 2nd, 2016