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WHAT MAISIE KNEW Send This Review to a Friend
Based on the novel by Henry James, “What Maisie Knew” tells a story of adult dysfunction through the eyes of a child, who is victimized as a result. The performance by Onata Aprile as the six-year-old Maisie in this contemporary update is letter-perfect in delineating the hurt inflicted. Aprile makes Maisie convincingly observant along with understating the pain she feels and the result is often heartrending.
The joint direction by Scott McGehee and David Siegel, from a screenplay by Nancy Doyne and Carroll Cartwright, adheres to Maisie’s perspective, which makes the film especially powerful. Maisie’s parents living in New York are played by Julianne Moore as Susanna, a musician, and Steve Coogan as Beale, an art dealer. They have bitter arguments, and the result is competition for custody of Maise when they split.
Although each professes love for Maisie, their own self-involvements make their protestations hollow. They are completely incapable of decent parenting, given their own problems. Maisie is caught in the middle, and we get a portrait of her instincts for self-preservation in the face of the adult world with which she is saddled.
Beale develops a relationship with Margo, nicely played by Joanna Vanderham, who was Maisie’s nanny. But Beale is no more a good match for Margo than he was for Susanna.
Margo develops an attraction for a decent chap, Lincoln, portrayed forthrightly by Alexander Skarsgard. Maisie, of course, watches all of this.
But there is potential salvation for her in the genuine affection that Margo has for her. And Lincoln also treats her kindly. Will Maisie ultimately find a home with this promising couple?
Our sympathies throughout are naturally with Maisie, as they should be. There is an endearing sincerity about this film, as well as a troublesome undercurrent of disturbance.
No child should have to endure what Maisie does, and yet, as we know, such is the situation in this age of coupling, uncoupling, divorce and custody battles. The film captures all of this extremely well. A Millennium Entertainment release. Reviewed May 3, 2013.
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