There are moments in "What Maisie Knew" where I wanted to break through the screen and protect the titular character. She is being exposed to so much harmful events around here that it is almost impossible not to let your heart break when her heart is so easily broken. This is not a horror film. Demons aren't stalking Maisie and her family. Instead, it is her family that is fallen apart and Maisie is left there to struggle under the rubble. "What Maisie Knew" is the most realistic depiction of the impact of a dysfunctional relationship and the impact it has on a child. It is an expertly crafted film with performances that deserved to be recognized.
Maisie (Onata Aprile) is the bright, energetic daughter of rock singer Susanna (Julianne Moore) and businessman Beale (Steve Coogan). Between Susanna's music recording and touring and Beale's constant travel and womanizing, Maisie is left on the side. She is often put into the arms of her caring nanny Margo (Joanna Vanderham) if she is cared for at all. Just as often, she is forgotten. It isn't that Susanna and Beale actively are trying to hurt their daughter. This is not a story of abuse. It is a story of neglect. Susanna and Beale care for Maisie but just as often they are swept into their own world, which is often filled with loud and harsh verbal fights through thin walls as their relationship falls apart. In one scene Beale actually jokingly refers to Maisie as his "sixth favorite girl". What is meant as a joke is subconsciously true. It is not all neglect and isolation for Maisie though. Margo and her mother's friend Lincoln (Alexander Skarsgard) see the light of Maisie and give her the childhood she so greatly desires. They become foster parents all while the real parents are in the other room. Maisie tries to understand the world around her as it constantly changes as she continues to not be the priority in her parents life.
From the sounds of the plot and my description, it is easy to think that "What Maisie Knew" will be an incredibly depressing film. In a lot of ways, it is heart-breaking. There are scenes where you will watch what Maisie has to deal with and you will ache for her. They will feel like little blows to the stomach. These are not the manipulative blows that are so often found in independent dramas. Instead, they feel real. They don't feel like events that are created to further a plot. We know children like Maisie. Her parents might not be abusive in the standard sense but their neglect and mis-managed priorities lead her to understand extremely complex and adult situations. Little care is given to what Maisie wants or how she feels about events. You won't openly hate Susanna and Beale, no small feat considering how wonderful and mistreated Maisie is, but you will constantly tell them to slow down and open their eyes.
For every gut-punching moment, there are moments of absolute beauty and emotion that will no doubt last with you. There are many moments between Maisie and Lincoln which are absolutely wonderful and will make even the hardest person smile. These short scenes show the childhood Maisie deserved from her parents. Skarsgard, who I've often simply seen as his cold and cruel character in "True Blood", shows he has fantastic acting range. An actor we so often see as intimidating and cunning, is shown to have a wonderful heart. It is a truly surprising performance.
The "amazing performance by a child" card has almost become a movie critic cliche at this point. 8-year old Quvenzhane Wallis received a Best Actress nominee for last year's "Beasts of the Southern Wild". Other actors such as Haley Joel Osment, Anna Paquin, and countless others are often praised because their performances are good "for a child actor". Onata Aprile is absolutely fantastic as Maisie. Sure she may not get the acting powerhouse (which are often manipulative) moments as someone like Wallis but she plays Maisie in such a convincing and honest way that you can't help but feel and connect with her. Her performance is not simply her playing with Skarsgard and Vanderham. There are moments of her reacting to her parents actions that can't simply be summed up to a child actor as "act sad now, Onata". If it weren't actors as recognizable as Moore and Coogan, you would almost feel this was a documentary about the impact of divorce on a child. In a just world, Aprile will be receiving plenty of nominations come award season.
"What Maisie Knew" is one of the best movies to come out in quite some time. It is completely worth seeking out although I strongly predict that most won't know it exists until it hits Netflix Instant and pops up as a recommended title. It is a true same. It is the type of shame that makes me want to never stop writing film reviews. There are a multitude and opinions and mentions of big-budget films. As I write this review, I'm about to leave to see two summer tent-pole films where the catering budget was probably higher than the entire budget of "What Maisie Knew". Movies like "What Maisie Knew" give me a reason as a film-lover to drive lengths for movies, to give every film a chance, and to shout their praises from the roof-tops when they prove to be amazing. In the hands of a bigger studio, "What Maisie Knew" would be released in December and receive Oscar attention. As that can't happen, all I can do is strongly recommend that you seek out this beautiful film as soon as you can.
No comments:
Post a Comment