The Man Who Cried (2000)

I want to include a bit about this film because it was part of my Sally Potter exploration. I struggled through it because I liked the cast, but this one failed to engage me. The story of Suzie (Christina Ricci) begins in the late 1920s as a young girl in Russia whose father goes to America in search of opportunity. When her mother dies she is shipped off to England to be raised by foster parents until she is of an age to go off on her own. She has a talent for singing and lands in Paris to pursue a performing career.

She has little idea of her heritage except for a worn photo of her father that she carries with her. Her job with an opera company introduces her to Lola (Cate Blanchett), an older worldly woman who takes Suzie under her wing and helps her to discover herself. Blanchett is always a pleasure to watch. Lola's advice to Suzie on how to get your man as a romance brews with Dante (John Turturro), another singer in the company...

"First you must play hard to get. He must feel he is a hunter and you are a beautiful wild animal--it's a primitive instinct. If you want to make a man want you and only you, you must smile and always listen--he needs attention."

Unaware that she is Jewish, Suzie begins to understand her heritage as dangers unfold around her when Hitler invades Poland and World War II heats up. Cesar (Johnny Depp) is the intriguing gypsy lead singer who she has immediate rapport with, not knowing that she too had gypsy heritage. The theme of identity gets a bit lost, but Lola finds a way to leave Europe with Suzie. Once in America, Suzie begins her journey to find her father. Eventually she does...and he cries (of course).