What Maisie Knew

Directing duo, Scott McGehee and David Siegel's fifth feature also marks their best work to date. The story of a little girl used in a bitter custody battle between her unfit parents. Based on the novel by Henry James, writers Carroll Cartwright and Nancy Doyne updated the story to contemporary New York which and McGehee and Siegel bring to screen with great effect which is quiet heartbreaking. While the girl comes from an affluent family and is beloved, it shows the world through her eyes which makes the behavior of her parents even more horrendous and kindness of strangers more touching. Newcomer Onata Aprile stars as the title character with a touching performance along with Julianne Moore and Steve Coogan as her parents with terrific performances but the most surprising performances come from Alexander Skarsgård and Joanna Vanderham who are used viciously and become surrogate parents which gives the film its heart. 1001 Films' coverage of films on DVD.