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A girl who can't cry learns to make an entire theatre weep.
TMDB
59
IMDb
67
Rotten Tomatoes
54
Audience Score
63
Google
85
Watch(GB)

Esther Kahn (2000)

uncompromisingintoxicatingly slowtheatrical fever dream

Overview

DramaRomance

A Jewish girl in 19th century London dreams of becoming a stage actress.

Flag of FRFRFlag of GBGB
Content warning
art as survivalassimilation and identitythe cost of transformationfemale ambition in a man's world

Standout Aspects

Acting

Summer Phoenix carries 142 minutes of barely-contained volcanic feeling.

Direction

Desplechin's restless camera refuses to let you get comfortable.

Writing

Dialogue that actually sounds like 19th-century people thinking out loud.

Best for:Solo: Late night, headphones, zero distractions. This demands your full surrender.·Streaming: Pause frequently. You'll need breaks to process what just happened.·Rewatch: Second viewing hits different once you understand Esther's armor.
Heads up:Emotional: Emotional devastation builds quietly. The final scene wrecked me.
Arnaud Desplechin

Director

Arnaud Desplechin

ReleasedOct 4, 2000
Runtime2h 22m
StatusReleased

Vibe

Paceslow
Intensityhigh
Tonedark
Feelheavy
France 3 Cinéma
France 2 Cinéma

Top Cast

Summer Phoenix

Summer Phoenix

Esther Kahn

Ian Holm

Ian Holm

Nathan Quellen

Akbar Kurtha

Akbar Kurtha

Samuel Kahn

Frances Barber

Frances Barber

Rivka Kahn

László Szabó

László Szabó

Ytzhok Kahn

Arnold Brown

Arnold Brown

Rabbi

Leon Lissek

Leon Lissek

Theatre manager

Ian Bartholomew

Ian Bartholomew

Norton

Paul Ritter

Paul Ritter

Alman, the photographer

Emmanuelle Devos

Emmanuelle Devos

Sylvia l'Italienne

Ask about Esther Kahn

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Deep Dive

Trivia, insights & behind the scenes

Cultural

Based on a 1899 story by Arthur Symons, a decadent poet who knew London's theatre world intimately.

Insight

Desplechin cast his own brother Fabrice as Philippe, adding layers of real sibling tension to their scenes.

Gallery

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