WHAT MAISIE KNEW (Mongrel, 2012) D: Scott McGehee, David Siegel, w/ Julianne Moore, Alexander Skarsgård. Rating: NNN DVD package: NN Rating: NNN
What Maisie Knew lacks the depth and complexity of Henry James’s novel, but it works well on an emotional level.
It’s easy to empathize with six-year-old Maisie (Onata Aprile): she’s an emotionally neglected child being used as a pawn in her parents’ nasty custody battle. Her mother, Susanna (Julianne Moore), is a narcissistic rock star who smothers her in kisses, then vanishes on tour. Her art dealer father, Beale (Steve Coogan), is either on his cell or absent. Maisie’s care is left to Margo (Joanna Vanderham), a nanny whom Beale marries right after the divorce, and Lincoln (Alexander Skarsgård), the bartender Susanna weds in retaliation.
Directors Scott McGehee and David Siegel keep strictly to Maisie’s point of view, and Aprile rewards them with a completely natural and hugely watchable performance. The adult cast is equally flawless, which may help distract you from the unexamined question of the age and economic disparity between Maisie’s rich parents and their poor new spouses.
On their not very informative shared commentary, McGehee and Siegel point out that they’ve taken pains to ensure that Susanna never becomes completely unsympathetic, but they never explain why they think that’s necessary or desirable.
EXTRAS Commentary, deleted scenes. English audio. English, Spanish subtitles.
