Ivan And Abraham

Set in eastern Poland, this black-and white feature chronicles the odyssey of two young boys, one Christian and the other Jewish, as they face ethnic hatreds and fears during the Depression. A mostly amateur cast sleepily delivers dialogue in Yiddish, Russian, and Polish, getting in the way of the film's best element, the dilapidated, grim little village that serves as backdrop.

Ivan (Sacha Iakovlev), apprenticed to a Jewish family, befriends young Abraham (Roma Alexandrovitch), who, despite traditional side-curls and yarmulke, is unhappy with the demands of his religious upbringing and would rather play and ride horses. Abraham's sister, Rachel (Maria Lipkina...