Watched this on mubi. One of the better european dramas I've seen lately, altho it's not that new anymore. There doesn't seem to be too many popping up lately, in my opinion.The movie apparently is based on a book and also scripted by the author. I haven't read the book, so I don't know how the movie compares.Story follows a girl and a boy, later woman and a man, through years from about 8 years old to 30 something. Mostly concentrating on childhood. The script is non-linear so things don't always go as expected and can be a bit confusing.For some time we follow a lonely - but very much adored - young girl at a ski resort. At another storyline we have a smart boy of same age and his mentally challenged sister of also same age. In between we have extracts of seemingly same kids at their teens where their stories connect. A lot and probably dramatic things seem to have happened tho, since the kids are not exactly happy in their teens anymore, if they ever were.The boy is easy to follow as there is just one of them, but for a good while I mixed up three girls, partly because they look quite different at different ages, but also because they act quite differently and as the movie is non-linear, a lot has happened that we don't yet know. I'm not sure if this was deliberately done, but it confused the hell out of me.The movie eventually reveals events from both the girls and boys lives which have dramatically affected them. In this regard the story is very strong and gripping, sometimes very hard to watch as a parent myself.The prime numbers part is an interesting thought. It doesn't add much to the movie tho, other than a nice title and an intriguing analogy.

Mattia Balossino is a boy who lost his mentally problematic twin sister Michela in a park. Alice Della Rocca is a girl who suffered a ski accident. These two kids are shown in five moments of their lives, from the childhood to the adult life, always carrying the strain of their choices over the years.Mattia and Alice knew each other at school in their teens, and for some unknown reason developed a relation based on strangeness: the strange boy that doesn't talk too much and the strange limping girl; the strange bulimic girl and the strange boy who cuts himself.The story of the movie is not linear. It passes from 1984 until 2009, during different moments of the protagonist's lives. There are gaps that the movie doesn't make clear, and by reading the book you'll have the same difficulty to discover some things. The Solitude of Prime Numbers is an open and never-ending story. It could be about me, you, and anyone.Why the "Prime Numbers"? Because a prime number is only divisible by itself and by 1. These numbers are faded to be alone, forever, like Mattia and Alice. Besides, Paolo Giordano, the author of the book, is a particle physicist with a PhD at the University of Turin, Italy.The great book story was adapted to the big screen by its own author, Paolo Giordano. Some say that the book was better and there are points of the story that changed... all those things that people say when they like the book better than the movie. Don't let them confuse you: The Solitude of Prime Numbers is a good movie in what it intends to be.The soundtrack is as disturbing as his creator, Mike Patton, the leader of Faith No More. Alba Rohrwacher is an amazing actress and won a fair prize for her role of adult Alice. Young Mattia is also well played by Vittorio Lomartire.

An enigmatic film by Saverio Costanzo was shown recently on a cable channel. The adaptation of a novel by Paolo Giordano, comes to the screen in this story that is told in three different times and covers events in the lives of Alice and Mattia, two wounded souls who destiny brings together in surprising and mysterious ways. Starting in childhood, Mattia and his twin sister Michela, who suffers from an unknown disease that has rendered totally dependent on her parents, and ultimately, his sibling make an odd pair. He is healthy, while she is obviously handicapped. Alice, on the other hand, seems to come from a happier background, but after an accident which has left her with a noticeable limp, she retreated to a world of her own.In high school, both Mattia and Alice's path convene under strange circumstances. Alice an introvert soul, is bullied by her peers. She is the butt for all the cool girls jokes and derision. Mattia, who begins attending Alice's school, is in his own world, not mixing with the other boys. A cruel classmate, Viola, realizes Alice is in love with Mattia. Feigning to like the girl, Viola has a surprise in store as she humiliates Alice during her birthday party. Alice's confidence is shattered, and Mattia is unable to be of help.As years pass, Alice, now a photographer, lures Mattia into accompanying her to Viola's wedding. Mattia and Alice repair to an empty space, avoiding the celebration, where she starts caressing the man she has been in love for so long. As fate has it, Mattia goes to follow his studies to Germany, while Alice by now married and separated seeks information about him with his mother. Mattia, concerned about Alice's welfare, returns for a visit, but he is too horrified to find an unknown Alice, who is clearly in a state of despair about the turn her life has taken. Is it too late for these lovers?Saverio Costanzo directed as well as collaborated with Mr. Giordano in the adaptation of the text to the screen treatment of the material. The message seems to refer as how the prime numbers relate to these two strange lives that crave to be together, but cannot find happiness in any way they can connect. The staging of the story relies in the use of fog and rain in the key scenes of the film. The story starts slowly, as the viewer feels disoriented, as well as disconnected from the story, but to his credit, Mr. Costanzo, pulls us into the drama of lives wasted and opportunities that escape these souls that have so much to give one another, but never connect, like the prime numbers.An excellent Alba Rohrwacher keeps giving amazing portrayals in whatever project she graces with her presence. She is an amazing actress who always surprises with her innate intelligence. Equally surprising is the work of Martina Albano, seen as the young Alice. She makes an impression in this film and no doubt she will continue to go to showcase her talent. We enjoyed Vittorio Lomartire as the young Mattia. Luca Marinelli, playing the older Mattia does not have much to do. Isabella Rossellini appears as Mattia's mother in a small, but pivotal role. Aurora Ruffino is perfect as Viola.The production gets a fabulous look thanks to Fabio Ciancetti camera work. Mike Patton's musical score feels right for all the different eras in the story and the editing of Francesca Calvelli serves the film well. Saverio Costanzo is a talented filmmaker whose work merits a view by fans of the Italian cinema.

Do yourselves a favor: don't watch the movie and read the book instead.I read the book a couple of years ago, which I liked a lot. I was curious to see the movie rendition, even though I had a bad feeling: the IMDb score was kind of a red flag.I have quite a few problems with the movie:1) It changed several aspects of the book, some of which are fundamental. Above all, the ending. In the movie conveys a very different (and more crowd pleasing) message, which contradicts the essence of the title.2) It does not propose a linear development of the story, making up a bunch of flashbacks and previews, which I found very confusing. Figuring out what happened to the main characters, and their families, will prove even more challenging for a person that hasn't read the book.3) It does not develop some major themes, such as Alice's mother passing away, or the intense, deep and unique bond that the two outcasts (Mattia and Alice) share is just touched upon, to name a few.4) The soundtrack is simply terrible. Apparently, it was taken from another movie, possibly to pay tribute to (emulate?) Tarantino. It's way too much "in your face". It does not complement the movie, being too invasive and too "loud".5) The horror interpretation might be original and bold. However, sometimes by being bold things can go horribly wrong. Which I think was the case here. With the horror approach, one can be partially insulated from the tragedies and the emotional nightmares that the main characters face and go through. Maybe this was a way to decrease the high expectations that were surrounding this production, as the book was a best-seller in Italy.The culprit of this failed attempt must be the director, as most actors do a fine job. Alba Rohrwacher delivers (as usual) a great performance. And I did like the mean Viola played by Aurora Ruffino. Filippo Timi, instead, overdoes it in a small cameo.I really hope my memory will be able to erase the scenes that I've just seen (a-la "spotless mind"...), restoring what my imagination came up with while reading the excellent book.