Compelling story of the self-transformation of a young girl as she makes herself into a woman and an actress. Although the process is fascinating, the film is often a frustrating muddle. One of the distractions is Summer Phoenix as Esther Kahn. She simply does not make Esther very convincing. The younger Esther is more plausible in drawing her earlier childhood experiences of being dismissed, being regarded as not counting. She feels isolated from life and living as she grows up. With her poor Jewish immigrant family in London's East End, she labors in a tailor shop. When Esther's mother finally becomes too exasperated with her, she sends her to work in a factory. One day she goes with her siblings to the theatre and is totally seduced by the idea of being someone else. Esther answers a casting call and gets a small part. Stepping on stage in front of an audience, she feels the exhilaration of coming to life for the first time.
Esther's excitement is tangible. She has never felt before. In one of the best bits, we witness Nathan Quellen (Ian Holm) as an older actor from whom she has sought tutoring to help her become an actor. He guides her through the minute details of a stage entrance and pulls her into character while he lays bare the acting process. Unfortunately, although she does some astonishing things, like literally beating herself up and eating broken glass, Phoenix fails to persuade. There is no evidence in the performance to show that Esther has learned her craft. It is bewildering how she comes to play the lead as Hedda Gabbler in the company of obvious professionals. After some hard work, Quellen considers her inadequacies and tells her that in order to play the emotions she needs to experience them. She embarks on finding a lover to accomplish this task and has an affair with a playwright, Philippe (Fabrice Desplechin). We cannot care for her pain when he rejects her, because she simply is not up to the task of making us care.
Phoenix is flat, wooden, and emotionless. No doubt, it is very difficult to portray such nebulous sensibilities, and perhaps it was that very quality that director Arnaud Desplechin saw in her. However, it comes across as an acting school exercise that doesn't work for the audience. Add other little annoyances that rob the film of authenticity, such as Esther's use of four letter words that are way too contemporary to the 19th century, and I was relieved when its overlong 160 minutes were over.
Desplechin sites his major influence as Truffaut's Wild Child, which sheds light on what he was attempting. The added 15 minutes, to his original 145 minute cut, makes the film even more muddle than marvel. An honest effort that nevertheless misses the mark.
DVD