Synopsis
While escaping from Nazis during the WWII, a Jewish man dug suitcases full of things dear to his heart in the ground two. The war deprived him of his family, and afterwards he endlessly turns over the soil of Antwerp to find the suitcases, which makes him look obsessed. He keeps checking old maps and keeps digging, trying to find, in fact, those he lost. His daughter Chaya is a beautiful modern girl looking for a part-time job. She finds a place as a nanny in the strictly observant Chassidic family with many children, although her secular manners clearly fly in the face of many commandments. One of the reasons she is accepted is that mother of the family is absolutely overburdened by the household, so she stays despite the resistance of the father, normally - an indisputable authority in the family. She develops a special bond with the youngest of the boys, four-year old Simcha, so far incapable of speaking.
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Cast
- Laura FraserChaya Silberschmidt
- Adam MontySimcha Kalman
- Isabella RosselliniMrs. Kalman
- Jeroen KrabbéMr. Kalman
- David BradleyConcierge
- Marianne SägebrechtMrs. Silberschmidt
- Maximilian SchellMr. Silberschmidt
- TopolYacov Apfelschnitt
- Heather WeeksSofie
Recommendations
- 75
Philadelphia Inquirer
An exceptional film -- unpacks long-buried suitcases, both figuratively and literally. - 75
New York Daily News
Krabbe attempts to stuff too many themes and subplots into the story. - 70
Village Voice
Krabbé alternates exaggeration with sentiment, but the main characters are relatively complex, and its surprise ending is genuinely affecting. - 63
Chicago Tribune
The only glaring fault of this otherwise fine film is that director Jeroen Krabbe's sense of drama is far too heavy-handed in spots. - 50
Christian Science Monitor
The drama has compelling moments and touches of imagination, but it relies more on sentiment than sense in conveying its messages about faith, family, and tradition. - 50
Chicago Sun-Times
One of those movies where the audience knows the message before the film begins and the characters are still learning it when the film ends. - 50
Variety
A well intentioned but uneven and overly sentimental film. - 50
New York Post
After a dreadfully clunky start, Left Luggage picks up and becomes quite moving.
