Arnaud Desplechin - Esther Kahn (2000)

In late-19th-century London, Esther Kahn, daughter of Jewish migrants, lives in the East End and toils with them in the family sweatshop. Esther is slow and stubborn, she never has an opinion about anything, she never feels anything for anybody: she's a stone. But as hard as she tries to imitate others, Esther comes to realize that this isn't the way to become a person. Then, once in the theatre Esther "wakes up", she comes to life: because she doesn't watch the play like others do, she lives it. Esther decides to become an actress and begins to learn how to go about it.