''The Devil's Arithmetic'' is a 1999

TV movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

based on the

historical novel Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other t ...

of the same name by

Jane Yolen Jane Hyatt Yolen (born February 11, 1939) is an American writer of fantasy, science fiction, and children's books. She is the author or editor of more than 350 books, of which the best known is ''The Devil's Arithmetic'', a Holocaust novella. He ...

. It stars

Kirsten Dunst Kirsten Caroline Dunst (; born April 30, 1982) is an American actress. She made her acting debut in the short ''Oedipus Wrecks'' directed by Woody Allen in the anthology film '' New York Stories'' (1989). She then gained recognition for her r ...

as Hannah Stern and costars

Brittany Murphy Brittany Anne Murphy-Monjack (; November 10, 1977 – December 20, 2009) was an American actress and singer. Born in Atlanta, Murphy moved to Los Angeles as a teenager and pursued a career in acting. Her breakthrough role was as Tai Fras ...

Louise Fletcher Estelle Louise Fletcher (July 22, 1934 – September 23, 2022) was an American actress who portrayed the antagonist Nurse Ratched in ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (1975), which earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress, a BAFTA Award, a ...

, and

Mimi Rogers Miriam Rogers (née Spickler; born January 27, 1956) is an American actress. Her notable film roles are ''Gung Ho'' (1986), '' Someone to Watch Over Me'' (1987), '' Desperate Hours'' (1990), and ''Full Body Massage'' (1995). She garnered the grea ...

Dustin Hoffman Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker. As one of the key actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable characters. He is ...

introduces the film but is uncredited and serves as an executive producer with Mimi Rogers.

Plot

The film opens with Hannah, a teen girl, in a tattoo parlor with her friends, contemplating what tattoo she wants. Before she can decide, she notes the time and realizes she is late for a Passover dinner. Hannah hates going to her family seder as her family tells the same stories and Hannah is tired of hearing about the past. Her aunt tells her every year that Hannah looks like her namesake, Chana, but won't tell Hannah who Chana was or what she did. During the seder Hannah opens the front door to let in the prophet Elijah, but she sees a Polish village instead of the outside of the apartment. All of a sudden she is not only in a new place but also in the year 1941. Hannah learns she is in the home of Rivka, who says she is Hannah (now Chana)'s cousin, and her aunt Gitl. They tell Hannah she has been sick and that should explain her strange ramblings about the future. The next day, the family goes into the village for a wedding, which is interrupted by Nazi soldiers, who say the whole village will be resettled. After a long journey, they arrive at a Nazi concentration camp. There, their valuables are stolen, their heads are shorn, they are tattooed, and they are made prisoners. Life is brutal, but Hannah tells fairy tales and stories to the women in her bunk to keep their spirits up, and she insists that she knows what is coming because of her history classes in school, but no one believes her. Tensions rise when a family is revealed to have typhus and when a woman goes into labor, some of the men attempt an escape when they find a guard they think they can trust, only to be caught and executed. One day, the commandant notices that Rivka and other inmates are ill, so he orders them to go to the gas chamber. Before he can see, Hannah switches places with Rivka. As she enters the gas chamber, she is transported back to the present day, awakening surrounded by her family, who tell her she had too much to drink (and presumably passed out). She embraces her aunt Eva and calls her Rivka, to her astonishment. They speak privately and Hannah fills in details she did not previously know. The movie ends with the entire family singing traditional songs at the table – the teenage Hannah is no longer alienated but is now part of the family.

Production

The film was shot in

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional u ...

, Lithuania in fall 1998 and a concentration camp set was built before shooting began and was designed to resemble Auschwitz.

Cast

as Hannah Stern/Chana Abramowicz *

as Rivka * Paul Freeman as Rabbi *

as Leonore Stern *

as Aunt Eva *

Daniel Brocklebank Daniel Brocklebank (born 21 December 1979) is a British actor, best known for portraying the roles of Ivan Jones in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'' (2005–2006), and Billy Mayhew in ITV's other long-running soap ''Coronation Street'' (2014 ...

as Shmuel * Shelly Skandrani as Leah * Philip Rham as Commandant Krieger * Daniel Rausch as Sgt. Steinbach * Kristy McFarland as Yetta * Paulina Soloveičik as Sarah * Lilo Baur as Mina * Nitzan Sharron as Ariel * Rachel Roddy as Esther * Ivea Jackevičiūtė as Miriam * Stewart Bick as Burton Stern * Vaidotas Martinaitis as Hans * Inga Tuminienė as Ingrid * Nijolė Narmontaitė as Hedwig * Leonardas Pobedonoscevas as Isaac * Ava Finch as Aliza * Louis Negin as Uncle Morris *

Caterina Scorsone Caterina Scorsone (born October 16, 1981) is a Canadian-American actress. She is best known for playing Dr. Amelia Shepherd on the ABC medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'' (2010–present) and its spin-offs ''Private Practice'' (2010–2013) and ''S ...

as Jessica

Reception

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Devil's Arithmetic Holocaust films American drama films Showtime (TV network) films 1999 drama films Films based on American novels 1999 television films 1999 films Films shot in Lithuania Films based on works by Jane Yolen 1990s English-language films Films directed by Donna Deitch 1990s American films