Child-centric movies thrive on the incompetence of their parents. Perhaps if the McAllisters or the Wormwoods had paid more attention, Kevin wouldn’t have been left “Home Alone,” or “Matilda” wouldn’t have been as conniving. In the same vein, but for a more dramatic crowd, the incompetent Susanna and Beale of “What Maisie Knew” are parents who truly deserve less than they have.
Title character Maisie (Onata Aprile) is a young girl, around the age of 6, caught directly in the middle of her parents’ custody battle. Susanna (Julianne Moore), an aging rock star desperately trying to cling to her lifestyle, and Beale (Steve Coogan), a traveling art dealer who consistently leaves Maisie with a baby sitter without notice, cannot see the impact their neglect is having on Maisie day to day. Even as a child in elementary school, Maisie’s constant shuffle from house to house noticeably molds her character, causing her to grow into more of an adult than either of her parents.
Compelling performances by all five main members of the cast guide the movie through its powerful thematic issues of parenthood and responsibility. Newcomer Aprile travels through the life of Maisie like an experienced actor, responding to each transition in Maisie’s rapidly changing world with heartbreaking understanding. Moore and Coogan’s grasps on the unawareness of their characters in Maisie’s development are admirably, if not frighteningly, realistic. The remaining two, baby sitters to Maisie (Alexander Skarsgård and Joanna Vanderham) who become new partners for her arguing mother and father, evoke a caring balance of parenthood to keep the warring personalities in check.
“What Maisie Knew” is adapted from an 1897 novel of the same name by Henry James. Though recreated entirely in the setting of a modern-day New York City, rewriting characters appropriately as rock stars and businessmen, the film thematically remains true to its source. The film’s script keeps to James’ thoughtful analysis of societal ignorance and childhood comprehension while straying far from the novel’s direct plot line.
Directing partners Scott McGehee and David Siegel’s last project, “Uncertainty,” was an experimental work that relied heavily on its unorthodox structure for its success. This time around, they had a clear view of how they wanted to interpret the story for the screen, presenting it as a childhood tale with mature themes made for adults.
And the two certainly have a better grasp on filmmaking now, guiding their star cast through a tastefully sophisticated reinterpretation. “What Maisie Knew” is told almost entirely from the viewpoint of Maisie, following her around in a documentary-style format as she plays, discovers, gets dropped off, and waits for her parents’ maturity to catch up with her own.
“What Maisie Knew” isn’t for everyone. An overly emotional story, scenes of Maisie’s frequent abandonment can be very hard to watch, especially from the viewpoint of those who may have encountered similar problems in their life.
As a child, the stoic Maisie manages nearly all her problems internally, letting the world play as she watches, allowing herself to be shaped negatively by its light. It’s upsetting, and rarely lets up from the single sad note it sustains for around 100 minutes. But the resulting just treatment of the film’s protagonists, as well as an open-ended conclusion, leave a reward for those willing to wade through the ups and mostly downs.
An honest story of the delicacy of parenthood and childhood, “What Maisie Knew” retains a lot of emotion in a well-cast recreation of an old tale. Its shining star, Onata Aprile, teaches as many lessons in acting as she does in family love and caring, leaving much to consider for the promising roles of both her and Maisie’s future.
-Sebastian Torrello
Email Torrelio at storrelio@media.ucla.edu