Left Luggage

Having eschewed her own Jewish heritage, 20-year-old 'hell on heels' philosophy student Chaja (Laura Fraser) finds her dwindling finances steering her reluctantly toward a job as a nanny with a Hasidic family. There she quickly develops an emotional bond with the youngest of their five children, a bladder-challenged mute by the name of Simcha (Adam Monty). Before you can say 'Shiksa', Chaja has both the 4-year-old and the family's browbeaten wife (Isabella Rosellini) speaking their minds, until a tragic ending forces another lesson on Chaja: the true values of life and love. Veteran Nederlander thesp Jeroen Krabbé (An Ideal Husband, The Fugitive) makes his very heavy-handed directorial debut in this well-intentioned film wherein less could have been so much more. An over-the-top lead perf by the green Fraser and a syrupy score by Henry Vrienten, both likely Krabbé's influence as well, don't help matters any, though the film does have its moments, most of them supplied by Rosellini. Those of you who can weather 100-minutes of handwrenching schmaltz with only intermittent earnest relief may consider this an optional purchase. (S. C. Sickles)