An American Rhapsody

A stirring, nicely executed drama about a Hungarian family torn apart by Cold War persecution, reunited through immigration, and tested by a stubborn teenage daughter determined to explore her roots, An American Rhapsody stars Nastassja Kinski and Tony Goldwyn in career-best performances as a mother and father who must leave their infant daughter behind when fleeing the Communist coup d'etat in 1949 Budapest. Six years later, after the girl is taken from her loving rural guardians to join her real family, now settled in Los Angeles, confusion and melancholy set in for young Suzanne, portrayed beautifully at age six by Kelly Endresz-Banlaki and less effectively at age 15 by Scarlett Johansson (Ghost World). Writer-director Éva Gárdos--on whose life the film is based--has such a good command of emotion and the language of cinema that it makes up for any small shortcomings. Recommended. (R. Blackwelder)