Review: The Song of Names

Release date: December 25, 2019 (DC Area January 3, 2019)
Running time: 116 minutes
Starring: Clive Owen, Tim Roth, Catherine McCormack

The Song of Names is a historical drama about a talented, genius-level violinist who disappears right before his first international performance.  His adopted family is devastated by this and his adopted brother goes on an exhaustive search to try and find this elusive man.  His search takes him around the world as he seeks his long lost brother and some closure on why he suddenly disappeared.

The movie takes place in modern times with large chunks of story told through flashbacks to fill in the backstory.  There are three main time periods that are explored, modern times, the time when the brothers were children, and the brothers as adolescents.  The casting is very well done with the brothers easily recognizable through these different periods.  And the acting of these characters is generally great with the two having very different personalities but very good chemistry.  The story starts off interesting but then slows down towards the middle and the end.  And the problem with this is that when there are big reveals towards the end, they fall flat.  Some very important information or twists happen, but the excitement or effect is lost due to the dragging tempo of the film.  

However, as you would expect with a movie about a musical genius, the music overall is very good.  The violin is beautiful and any time that the Dovidl is playing, it is a joy to hear.  Song of Names is a historical drama, and it is an interesting story, but unfortunately it is not based in any fact.  Sure there are events that take place that actually happened, and cultures that are explored, but the characters were all made up for this film.  I was really hoping that there was a something this was based on, but unfortunately there was not.  

The Song of Names will take you on a manhunt with a talented cast, wonderful music, and a story that starts very strong but tends to lose tempo as it plays out.  

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