MOVIE: What Maisie Knew

What Maisie Knew: updated version of the Henry James 1897 novel.  Maisie is a six year old living in NYC.  The movie begins with a scene of her parents arguing.  Soon they are divorced.  The mother is a rock musician and the father is an Englishman earning his income as an art dealer.  Neither knows what it means to be a parent.  The movie tells the story of two people with no true desire to be parents but who are aware that they are supposed to care about their daughter.  Onata Aprile plays the 6 year old and she is a delight.  Her spirit saves the film from being a depressing story.  The movie leaves you with the question of whether Maisie can be a whole person come adulthood.  There is much political rhetoric as to the potential disadvantages of one-parent children but what happens if both parents, although present, have priorities other than the children?  The script has both parents remarrying shortly after the divorce with a subplot as to the father marrying Maisie’s nanny, Margo, played by Joanna Vanderham.   Susanna, the touring rock musician mother played excellently by Julianne Moore, also remarries.  Maisie’s stepfather is played by Alexander Skarsgard, the lead male in the excellent film The East, which I reviewed last week.  Skarsgard, in a very different role, is again excellent.  Steve Coogan plays Maisie’s father.  A lot happens in this 98 minute movie directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel from a script by Nancy Doyne and Carroll Cartwright.  I don’t remember reading this James novel so I can’t personally comment on differences between  the book and movie.  In this movie, Maisie is a very real person  and you will care deeply about her while wondering how parents can be so insensitive to their own child.  The contrast between Maisie’s biological parents and her step-parents is quite stark.  The title is a little odd because contrary to its implication, this is not a retrospective by an adult Maisie.  I understand the book has a moralistic governess named Mrs. Wix.   Margo is a very contemporary character and she is not a modern version of Ms. Wix.   This film takes places in 21st century Manhattan and  reflects today's morality.  Maisie is living in present times.  Excellent film.