Left Luggage (1998)
Genre: Drama
Duration: 100 minuten
Country:
Netherlands / Belgium / United States / United Kingdom
Directed by: Jeroen Krabbé
Stars: Isabella Rossellini, Laura Fraser and Maximilian Schell
IMDb score:
7,3 (3.083)
Releasedate: 30 March 1998
This movie is not available on US streaming services.
Left Luggage plot
Chaja, a hip philosophy student, takes a side job as a nanny for the Hasidic Jewish family Kalman in the 1970s. As a liberal Jewish, Chaya has a very hard time with the strict rules of life of the Orthodox family. It does not take long before she clashes with father Kalman, who rules his family harshly and without emotion. Chaja wants to resign, but her tenderness for the stupid little Simcha makes her persevere. The bond between Chaja and Simcha keeps getting stronger; she teaches him to talk, she begins to understand the environment and the grief of the family. The search for two lost suitcases that her father has been carrying for 30 years also gradually becomes an unfeasible but understandable self-imposed mission.
Actors and actresses
Chaya Silberschmidt
Simcha Kalman
Mrs. Kalman
Mr. Kalman
Concierge
Mrs. Silberschmidt
Mr. Silberschmidt
Yacov Apfelschnitt
Reviews & comments
Movsin
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- 8286 messages
- 8442 votes
Very nice film about the aftermath of the persecution of the Jews in WWII, but especially about the love for a child.
However, the film seems to be heading for a somewhat imaginative (child suddenly speaking) and playful (the stunt down the drainpipe) story, but becomes super sensitive due to the closing events[/spoiler)].
Handsome acts, especially by Laura Fraser (her grief is very beautifully interpreted) although Isabella Rosselini is also at her best.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Dievegge
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- 3180 messages
- 8230 votes
It is nice to recognize the Antwerp locations: the station area, the city park and the Scheldt. The contrast between Hasidic and liberal Jews is reflected in the clothing and lifestyle. They speak English instead of Dutch. The concierge's flat accent is the equivalent of flat Antwerp, while Laura Fraser speaks the equivalent of AN.
There are also a few Hebrew words in it. Seider is the first night of Passover, on which a child recites four questions. Gomer was the promiscuous wife of the prophet Hosea. When Chaja is told that according to the rules she can't wear pants, she switches to a miniskirt, after which the paterfamilias calls her a gomer, similar to "slut".
The title can be interpreted in two ways. Chaja's father has literally gone to two suitcases that he buried during the Second World War. Symbolically, it is about the baggage of the Holocaust, which liberals and orthodox deal with differently.
Chaja undergoes a change through her experience with the baby and the family. Jeroen Krabbé plays a character who doesn't look like himself at all, very dark but also for a reason. Isabella Rosselini plays the conciliator, someone who avoids conflict and tries to bring parties together.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Brabants
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- 2896 messages
- 2154 votes
Left Luggage is an interesting drama about relationships, humanism and tragedy. The Second World War and anti-Semitism are of course subjects that turn out to be an excellent source of nutrition. A good and enthusiastically playing cast makes this charming yet somewhat depressing film more than worthwhile.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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