What Maisie Knew - 8 stars out of 10

What Maisie Knew - 8 stars out of 10

“What Maisie Knew” is an incredibly unique twist on a custody battle.  In this film, it isn’t good-parent-vs.-bad-parent; instead, neither parent is fit to raise this child (and neither wants to); this time, it is the step parents on each side who end up being the ones who care for the child.  The script compartmentalizes the relationships of each parent and step-parent with Maisie so that we can see the loving aspect of each individual relationship, but through the stories of the other adults, the true colors of each parent are revealed.  Although the script is amazing for its constantly evolving perspective of who the best parent would be, everything revolves around 7-year-old actress Onata Aprile.  This young girl keeps up with (and sometimes outshines) the talented Julianne Moore, Steve Coogan, Joanna Vanderham, and Alexander Skarsgård.  I did not like Moore at all, which means that she was doing her job well.  The real highlight of the film for me is Scottish newcomer Joanna Vanderham.  She has been in a few British tv shows but her portrayal of Margo is enchanting and in a film that kind of forces you to choose sides, I was favoring her.  I was fascinated when my research revealed that this story actually comes from an 1897 novel and was adapted to fit a modern setting.  The amazing thing is that the themes line up perfectly with today’s dysfunctional society and that this is such a fresh concept, even though it is 120 years old.  “What Maisie Knew” screams “INDIE FILM!!!!” but delivers as much drama and sentimentality as any blockbuster.