Directors: Scott McGehee, David Siegel
Starring: Onata Aprile, Julianne Moore, Alexander Skarsgård, Steve Coogan
What Maisie Knew is a heart wrenching story of a family's breakdown seen through Maisie's eyes (Aprile). Maisie's mother, Susanna (Moore), is an aging rock star in the midst of a divorce and custody battle with art dealing husband, Beale (Coogan). The film is a beautiful and bittersweet portrait of the love and innocence of a child caught between dueling parents.
The relationship between Maisie and Lincoln (Alexander Skarsgård), her mother's partner, is the most beautiful part of this film. He anchors the story by giving her selfless kindness and respite from her life at home. Aprile and Skarsgård's scenes are the most endearing to watch and elevated this from a good movie to a great one. Their relationship highlights all of the things wrong with Maisie's childhood and make you pine for something to change for her. Though the story and Maisie's journey are difficult subject matter there are never moments where you feel that you need to look away or cringe, but rather the story is told in a beautiful way through Maisie's naive eyes. This gives it an air of melancholia and a shift of focus for the viewer. It leaves the viewer wanting to protect the child and revel in her joys rather than outright judging the parents.
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