Film Review: What Maisie Knew
Film: What Maisie Knew (2012). Young Actress: Onata Aprile, age 7.
Loosely based on the novel by Henry James (author of The Turn of the Screw), with the setting updated from 19th-century London to modern-day New York City, this film opens just as the relationship between Maisie's dysfunctional parents is crumbling. After a bitter divorce, her distant, workaholic father (Steve Coogan) and loving but unstable mother (Julianne Moore, Mockingjay) quickly find new significant others, putting young Maisie - only in kindergarten - in the middle of a complicated mess of lies and betrayals. Although in the book, Maisie eventually takes a stand in determining her future, she's very passive in the film, with the adults moving her between them like a chess piece. But that's to be expected, since the book covers several years of Maisie's life, while in the movie, she's much younger. Her only act of independence is slightly resisting when her mother, an aging rockstar, tries to drag her onto a tour bus in the middle of the night.
Maisie with two reasons to smile: her new stepfather Lincoln and longtime nanny Margo
It's impossible not to be moved by Onata, whose unique looks and refreshingly natural performance draw you in, making you concerned for this little girl and furious at the adults who are ruining her childhood. Throughout the film, Maisie always comes across as a regular child, never a child star. For example, one of the final scenes is a shot of Maisie running towards the camera (and by the way, the film does end with Maisie finally in a loving, stable environment - but it's unclear how long she'll be able to stay there) and her run is the spasmodic run of a little kid, with arms and legs flailing. It might not look good on camera, but it does feel real. Especially touching is the bond between Maisie and her new stepfather Lincoln (Alexander Skarsgard), who goes from a clueless, irresponsible slacker who knows nothing about children (in his first scene, he lets Maisie cross a Manhattan street by herself) to the first loving, stable father-figure that Maisie's ever known.
For screencaps and second opinion, here's the review by Young Actress Reviews.
Loosely based on the novel by Henry James (author of The Turn of the Screw), with the setting updated from 19th-century London to modern-day New York City, this film opens just as the relationship between Maisie's dysfunctional parents is crumbling. After a bitter divorce, her distant, workaholic father (Steve Coogan) and loving but unstable mother (Julianne Moore, Mockingjay) quickly find new significant others, putting young Maisie - only in kindergarten - in the middle of a complicated mess of lies and betrayals. Although in the book, Maisie eventually takes a stand in determining her future, she's very passive in the film, with the adults moving her between them like a chess piece. But that's to be expected, since the book covers several years of Maisie's life, while in the movie, she's much younger. Her only act of independence is slightly resisting when her mother, an aging rockstar, tries to drag her onto a tour bus in the middle of the night.
Maisie with two reasons to smile: her new stepfather Lincoln and longtime nanny Margo
It's impossible not to be moved by Onata, whose unique looks and refreshingly natural performance draw you in, making you concerned for this little girl and furious at the adults who are ruining her childhood. Throughout the film, Maisie always comes across as a regular child, never a child star. For example, one of the final scenes is a shot of Maisie running towards the camera (and by the way, the film does end with Maisie finally in a loving, stable environment - but it's unclear how long she'll be able to stay there) and her run is the spasmodic run of a little kid, with arms and legs flailing. It might not look good on camera, but it does feel real. Especially touching is the bond between Maisie and her new stepfather Lincoln (Alexander Skarsgard), who goes from a clueless, irresponsible slacker who knows nothing about children (in his first scene, he lets Maisie cross a Manhattan street by herself) to the first loving, stable father-figure that Maisie's ever known.
For screencaps and second opinion, here's the review by Young Actress Reviews.