Gloriously overripe and emotionally uninvolving, Sally Potter's film totters precariously between flamboyant art and campy soap opera before collapsing under the weight of its own pretensions. The main problem is that Christina Ricci is stuck playing a passive, underdeveloped character; she has very little dialogue, doesn't seem to change much despite all that happens around her, and lacks chemistry with her onscreen lover (portrayed by an equally understated Johnny Depp in a less engaging version of his gypsy character from Chocolat). Cate Blanchett and John Turturro do enough talking and acting to compensate for Ricci and Depp, but that's definitely a mixed blessing; both overdo the bad accents and accentuated gestures to the point that neither character can be taken seriously, although Blanchett chews the scenery with such panache that she's a delight to watch. The actors aren't the only ones who overdo it, either. Potter piles on one incredible plot twist after another and directs the whole shebang as if it were a cross between an old-fashioned melodrama and a postmodern musical. While the klezmer, pop, opera, and Gypsy music (the latter courtesy of Taraf de Haidouks) are entertaining, they only serve to push the film even further over the top, particularly since the lip-synching is so horrendous. But the movie does have style, particularly Sacha Vierny's exquisite camerawork, and Claudia Lander-Duke gives a fine performance as the young Fegele. It's just a shame that this film, which raises -- but doesn't really explore -- interesting questions about cultural assimilation, doesn't work on a basic emotional level.