The English-language debut of French director Arnaud Desplechin, Esther Kahn charts the ascension of a lower-class Jewish girl from a turn-of-the-century London ghetto to one of the stage's leading actresses. Esther (Summer Phoenix) feels set apart from her large, raucous family, who are all employed in the garment business. Her life is changed when she attends a Yiddish theatre performance, and she is suddenly determined to become an actress. After joining a small theatre company, she becomes the protégé of Nathan (Ian Holm), a stage veteran who instructs her in her chosen craft. Esther gradually works her way up in the ranks -- taking a lover, brainy French theatre critic Philippe (Fabrice Desplechin), along the way -- until she is cast in the title role of Hedda Gabler, which she performs to great acclaim.~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide

GENRE: Drama
MPAA RATING: No Rating
RUN TIME: 2h 25m
RELEASE DATE: March 01, 2001
STARRING: Summer Phoenix, Laszlo Szabo (I), Emmanuelle Devos, Ian Holm, Frances Barber
DIRECTOR(S): Arnaud Desplechin
PRODUCER(S): Alain Sarde
WRITER(S): Emmanuel Bourdieu, Arnaud Desplechin
STUDIO: