Left Luggage
Left Luggage
| 30 March 1998 (USA)
Left Luggage Trailers

While escaping from Nazis during the WWII, a Jewish man dug suitcases full of things dear to his heart in the ground two. The war deprived him of his family, and afterwards he endlessly turns over the soil of Antwerp to find the suitcases, which makes him look obsessed. He keeps checking old maps and keeps digging, trying to find, in fact, those he lost. His daughter Chaya is a beautiful modern girl looking for a part-time job. She finds a place as a nanny in the strictly observant Chassidic family with many children, although her secular manners clearly fly in the face of many commandments. One of the reasons she is accepted is that mother of the family is absolutely overburdened by the household, so she stays despite the resistance of the father, normally - an indisputable authority in the family. She develops a special bond with the youngest of the boys, four-year old Simcha, so far incapable of speaking.

Reviews
Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.
Dorathen Better Late Then Never
Bereamic Awesome Movie
ShangLuda Admirable film.
brianhobi I watched this with my wife because she is sensitive and intellectual. I was left in a stooper. My eyes glazed over and then rolled up into the back of my head. I could not stay awake. I love my wife. She is the love of my life. The fact that I would even attempt to sit in one place for the entire movie is evidence of my willingness to endure great suffering on her behalf.I am now told that I need to write 10 lines of text in order for my review to be post-worthy. I have a life. Why am I doing this? I can tell you why, because I thought it would be fun and easy. Now, it has become an endurance test - just like the movie. I am going to bed now. I need to sleep.By the way, my wife really loved the movie... and I love her... and she loves me. I guess that is what tolerance is all about.
sjtmd-2 A moving and poignant film which raises many important issues. A Holocaust theme, but ultimately a story of all our lives. Some strong but subtle symbolism. The acting is for the most part excellent (great to see Chaim Topol again. Older, but still Tevye). Isabella Rosselini is a very credible Chassid wife and mother. The locations are beautifully shot, and the score (when I could hear it)was appropriate. That's the big issue though - why was the sound in this film so uneven, and often inaudible?? Frequently, had the TV at volume levels somewhere in the "red zone". I don't think it was the DVD - it actually seemed as if it was shot this way. Made me wish that there were English subtitles. Was it just me??
KevinBeckett I initially balked at watching this movie. However, after being persuaded to do so I was happily surprised.Laura Fraser has done an excellent job in portraying a young woman who is a bridge between cultures.Isabella Rossellini also does an good job as the mother.All in all, a very good movie, and a nice surprise.
arcadyworks I have just seen this film (October 2001) and strongly recommend it to anyone. What this film offers is a sensitive post holocaust view of European (Belgian) society, particularly centred on the emotional and psychological "baggage" of the "survivors" which succeeding younger generations must sort out and come to terms with. The gradual revelations mostly unfold in the mind and experience of a young Jewish girl whose personal integrity and spunk bring to the viewer a warm and sensitive understanding of the human damage which continues to shape much of Europe today. This film is reminiscent of a similar film, based on Edwin Mulisch's "The Assault" (Dutch experience), which is both a fascinating human mystery story and a document of social realism.