Alan & Naomi

Normally, I wouldn't go for a movie centered around two young teens but this is well-done and one of the actors, Lukas Haas, is a veteran despite his age. (He was the little Amish boy in "Witness").

Haas is outstanding in here, particularly in conveying his feelings throughout the film. It's a story that could easily be trite or corny but winds up appealing with no unpleasant scenes overdone. That could have happened since the girl (Vanessa Zaoui) is a traumatized kid with several mental problems. Michael Gross and Amy Aquino, meanwhile, do a decent job of playing Jewish parents and it's nice to see a father portrayed in a positive light, for a change.

In summary, a good and somewhat underrated melodrama

I highly recommend this film for family viewing, at least for preteens and older. Naomi is a French girl who has been traumatized by witnessing Nazi brutality against her parents, but the dark aspect of this situation is dealt with directly only briefly as a background for Naomi's unwillingness to speak to anyone. The majority of the film is much lighter, without being unrealistically so. Naomi and her new American acquaintance, Alan(both 14 years old or so), find a unique method of communication, and everyone hopes this will be the key to unlock her world. Lukas Haas and Vanessa Zaoui give outstanding, believable performances, outperforming most of the adults in the cast. They play Alan and Naomi, who deal with issues of peer pressure, parent pressure, trust, betrayal, jealousy, fear, and friendship. Fortunately, Hollywood's usual distortions and sugar coatings are missing in this one. Even the typical "and they lived happily ever after" ending for this type of film was avoided, without ending on a sour note.

I saw this movie when I was little and loved it. For a 10 yr old loving a drama about children and trauma and war should tell you its fantastic. I hope I can find a copy for my kids one day. It is a beautiful movie!!

This is a film about a Jewish teenager (Haas) who has no idea what his Jewishness means and meets a Jewish girl who knows nothing else.

The plot of the film allows us to watch him learn how Alan controls his temper and becomes a man while dealing with very serious problems as he slowly draws her into the world they live in.

Anyone who has dealt with mental illness knows that progress is not linear. Many backward steps are taken for every one that moves forward. In that the film is slightly deceptive: it leads us to believe that his treatment of her was like solving a geometry problem: each part contributes to the whole. If the part does not fit don't use it.

Movies are only two hours long. Choices have to be made. David and Lisa is probably better if one seeks accuracy. The choice here was character.

Alan grew. He learned how to give all he could to someone else. He was not thinking of his reward: he was thinking of her. As much as anything, his early failures brought about that development.

For such a young actress, Vanessa Zaoui had a wide range of emotions to deal with and she does it well. She went from compulsion (paper tearing) to transference (talking through her doll) random intense fear but timid acceptance of the outside world, to catatonia. At each step Alan, her unselfish teacher and leader, knows instinctively what to do simply by loving her as he would a much younger handicapped sister. He slowly learns how to sensitively communicate the very essence of himself.

I would not call this an entertaining film, but it is a very good study of two young teens who teach each other much.

I understand that many have not seen this film.and i would not have found it again myself if it wasn't for this site. i saw this on a weekend special done by starz.and after that i've subscribed ever since, but they have never shown it , this movie if you look at it from the point of view of a child, shines to the truth Alan doesn't understand Naomi any better she does to him. anyone who has children will understand that it's hard to realize what they go through. how can a child understand the death of their parents if they've nothing to to compare it to.. if you believe that mother is god upon your lips than how can a poor Jewish boy who can't even speak your language assuage your grief?...this is a movie about breaking through...Alan and Naomi find what every wants and can't have if just for a moment... please i just wish you'd let it touch you the way it has me...I gave this movie a ten out of ten because it captures the human spirit ...and just like all it's watchers should have ...it gives you what you want.....courtesy William Shakespeare