Alan and Naomi is an unforgettable film of incredible depth, humanity, and vision; on so many levels it's just about impossible to list them all. Every scene is lovingly crafted and there isn't a moment that is superfluous to the film. Every scene builds upon the next until the exceptional ending, one of the most powerfully climactic scenes I've ever seen in my life.The story takes place in the early 1940's and a young girl is saved from Nazi Germany along with her mother and brought to Brooklyn, New York. Little Naomi is catatonic because she saw her father murdered right in front of her eyes. Alan is a Jewish boy who lives in the same apartment building. His mother asks him to spend time with Naomi, just so that she can feel she has a friend, and maybe she will be able to heal. Alan at first is very angry that he has to give up his stickball games with his friends after school just to sit with Naomi, who doesn't even acknowledge his presence. Then slowly Alan grows to care about Naomi and to think less and less of himself, and more of her sorrows and struggles. In the process Alan grows up.All the acting is first rate here, and the sets and music are perfect to make one feel one is actually back in time in America during World War Two. Sold on the Feature Films For Families website and Amazon.com and highly recommended.I don't think in this day and age that the historical topics broached in this film have lost any of their relevance or significance. It's good for children to know that history tends to repeat itself but that human beings can learn from the past if they choose to do so and try to rise above past mistakes. Only giving children today a diet of superficial Disney shows doesn't exactly make them well-educated. Take a break from the high school musicals and watch Alan and Naomi with your children. You'll be glad you did.

When I found out there was a movie based on the book, I was thrilled and I immediately checked it out. I was sorely disappointed. Truth be told, that might be an unfair assessment; I enjoyed watching the actors who played Naomi,Mr. and Mrs. Silverman, and Mrs. Liebman. My main complaint was with the one who played Alan. I couldn't stand his voice (talk about irritating!) and I didn't like the way that he played Alan. I think that the book portrays him with more spunk and life. When I watched the movie, though, I kept on thinking, "What on earth does Shaun SEE in this guy? Go get some real friends." One bad actor may not turn a movie into a bomb, but this is a story that really needs the leads to pull through.

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.

The plot, which you can read elsewhere on this page, seems slim and easily dismissable; one can imagine an ABC afternoon special made on the same themes. The film's grace, however, is achieved entirely by its performances. Lukas Haas, as an American Brooklyn boy initially irritated by his Jewish heritage, is wonderful to watch as his character grows in affection and charm. Michael Gross is surprising in his affable characterisation of Alan's Dad -- not a far stretch from his "Family Ties" role perhaps but charming nevertheless. The film is mawkish in a few instances but on the whole it is incredibly bittersweet and poignant. See this movie.