I found the slow-paced and intimate scenes one of the better aspects of the movie. It has a feel of sadness to it that these people live their lives ordinarily while Jews around the world are slaughtered by the Nazis's. Yes, the lighting and camera-work is horrible at times, yes, it doesn't really have a point to it, but it does have a certain beauty in its depiction of human intimacy even at times of horrific events. For me the most unforgivable flaw is the way how they neglect to put any emotional tension in the storyline. Things just happen for no other reason than that it was written in the book. Motives are left unclear and the director fails to put any of the events in a clear context. And then there is the horrific dialogue making people talk to each other as if they are reciting a book. It's so stiff and dry to watch.
This could've been a beautiful movie, but it just isn't.
This could've been a beautiful movie, but it just isn't.