Esther Kahn is the first English-language film by the French director Arnaud Desplechin. It premiered at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival where it competed for the Palme d'Or, but was not distributed to the United States for two years until it played in New York City in 2002. It stars Summer Phoenix as Esther and Ian Holm as her friend and teacher, Nathan Quellen.
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Synopsis
Esther Kahn lives in London's East End at the end of the 19th century. She works as a seamstress with her Jewish family, but finds no satisfaction in it. Withdrawn and the target of her siblings' mockery, she remains uncertain about her future. One day, after attending a play, she decides to become an actress. Starting with background roles, minor parts, and understudy work, she gradually becomes self-sufficient. Under the mentorship of Nathan Quellen, a washed-up actor, she hones her skills—but still lacks real-life experience.
Cast
Summer Phoenix as Esther Kahn
Ian Holm as Nathan Quellen
Fabrice Desplechin as Philippe Haygard
Akbar Kurtha as Samuel Kahn
Frances Barber as Rivka Kahn
László Szabó as Ytzhok Kahn
Hilary Sesta as Buba
Claudia Solti as Mina Kahn
Berna Raif as Becky Kahn
Emmanuelle Devos as Sylvia (the Italian woman)
Paul Regan as Joel
Arnold Brown as Rabbi
Leon Lissek as Theatre manager
Ian Bartholomew as Norton
Samantha Lavelle as Christel
Kika Markham as Trish
Paul Ritter as Alman, the photographer
Production
Deplechin adapted the screenplay with regular collaborator Emmanuel Bourdieu from a short story by Arthur Symons of the same name from his book Spiritual Adventures. Summer Phoenix auditioned three times before she was offered the role of Esther.
Reception
Initial reviews of the film were mixed. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 54%, based on 26 reviews. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 46 out of 100, based on 12 critics.
Cahiers du cinéma named it the best film of 2000. In 2010 it ranked 52nd on Film Comment's end of the decade critics poll.