Maisie is a six-year-old girl played by six-year-old Onata Aprile, and she’s in every scene. I have no idea what the real Onata is like, but as Maisie she’s so appealing it’s a wonder her parents, who are divorcing as the movie begins, can’t get it together enough not to argue in front of her. Exactly what drove them apart is not well explained — the movie is entirely from Maisie’s point of view, and the squabbles of adults are literally above her head. A caretaker, Margo, seems much more level-headed than Maisie’s mother (Julianne Moore), a New York City-based rock singer who, while loving, uses her daughter to vent her own frustrations.
And so the father (Steve Coogan) gets custody. We don’t know his job—probably Maisie doesn’t either—but it involves traveling to Europe sometimes. Most of the plot (updated from a Henry James novel) consists of young Maisie being shuttled back and forth between parents who are alternately possessive and neglectful. Throughout, she remains open-hearted and calm, a counterbalance to the primary adults in her life. This is all established pretty early, and where the story, and Maisie, will wind up will be obvious by about the middle point, but the film still captivated me. There are a few other films meant for adult audiences but told from a young child’s view — Beasts of the Southern Wild and a French film, Ponette, come to mind — but not many. Aprile’s performance carries the movie like that of Quvenzhané Wallis in Beasts. Aprile doesn’t have to recite long voiceovers like Wallis, but her lack of affect is very like a typical child of that age, yet captivating. And that is enough.
IMDb link
viewed 6/7/13 7:10 pm at Ritz Bourse and reviewed 6/7/13
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