"Alan & Naomi" is a lovely little film, full of heart and charm and bolstered by fine performances and the sensitive direction of Sterling VanWagenen, here making his debut behind the camera.

A coming-of-age drama with a difference, "Alan & Naomi" tells of a teenager (Lukas Haas) growing up in Brooklyn, circa 1944. He plays stickball in the street, builds model airplanes and attends the local public school where his Jewishness seems to be a veiled issue, though his best friend is an Irish-Catholic.

Alan is a normal all-American lad coming into adolescence, and he just wants to do his homework at night, listen to the radio and be left alone by his parents (Michael Gross, the father on TV's "Family Ties," and Amy Aquino, a regular in the new show "Brooklyn Bridge").

In his tenement building there is another Jewish family, which includes a "crazy" girl about his age, Naomi (newcomer Vanessa Zaoui). Alan and his friends tend to make fun of her, but it isn't long before Alan's parents push him to befriend the girl, to help bring her out of her tormented mental state.

It seems she's slipped into catatonia since witnessing the death of her father at the hands of Nazis in her native France, and her main preoccupation these days is sitting in her room tearing newspapers into strips while she clings to her doll.

Alan is reluctant, of course — even hostile at the suggestion. But, of course, he succumbs, and finds himself just sitting quietly in her room, watching her. Then he comes up with the idea of bringing in his ventriloquist's dummy,

MOVIE as a means to attempt communication through her doll. Soon she's coming out of her shell and Alan is taking her outdoors — fearful all the while that his friends will see him with her and label him a sissy.

"Alan & Naomi" starts off exceptionally well, despite the unfortunate back-lot look of the Brooklyn streets. The setups are convincing, and the cast is very good as we come to know the principals involved.

Parents of teenagers will particularly identify with the domestic battles that follow as Alan's parents encourage him to do something he'd rather avoid.

After a time, however, "Alan & Naomi" begins to play like a made-for-TV disease-of-the-week film, in particular in its centerpiece scenes in Naomi's room, extended sequences that go on too long, allowing a claustrophobic sluggishness to set in.

But that proves to be a minor distraction as the film soon picks up its pace again and carries the audience to an expected ending that packs a punch.

Haas, whose lanky demeanor and changing voice perfectly accentuate his role as a confused adolescent forced to act out an adult role, is a fine actor, and Vanessa Zaoui, who really is French (though she oddly seems to lose her accent from time to time), is convincing and touching in her role. Also exceptionally enjoyable is Amy Aquino as Alan's mother, a feisty influence deserving of more screen time.

More humor would have made a big difference in the screenplay, by Jordan Horowitz, but VanWagenen's direction keeps things moving, and he obviously has great affection for the material.

Dick Hyman's score should also be noted as it adds much to the '40s atmosphere.

"Alan & Naomi" is rated PG for some violence (primarily in Naomi's flashbacks) and mild profanity.