Review: What Maisie Knew

IF ONLY Maisie didn't know anything in What Maisie Knew. Sometimes ignorance can indeed be bliss, writes Leigh Paatsch.

Alexander Skarsgaard (right) and Onata Aprile in a scene from film What Maisie Knew.

If only Maisie didn't know anything in What Maisie Knew. Sometimes ignorance can indeed be bliss.

Maisie (a stunning performance by Onata Aprile) is seven years old. She lives in New York City. Her mother, Susanna (Julianne Moore), is a washed-up rock star. Her dad, Beale (Steve Coogan), is just a washout. All that Maisie ever hears is her parents fighting. They are no longer together, but apart they are as damaging to the welfare of their daughter as they have ever been. There is a custody dispute which soon hits the courts. Neither parent particularly wants their child. But both want a win as the last word on what has been a toxic relationship. Beale and Susanna proceed to take up with different partners. Again, only to rankle each other a little more. Poor Maisie is bounced from side to side of this relationship war like a ping-pong ball. All too often, no one is there to pick her up from school. On more than one occasion, in the absence of any available babysitters, she must spend the evening at the bar where her mum's new boyfriend (Alexander Skarsgard) works. This brilliantly-acted study in emotional neglect as child abuse can be quite wrenching to watch. Though Maisie is living in relatively affluent surrounds, the worry for her well-being steadily rises throughout the picture. This little girl's innocence becomes her only source of resilience. However, in those rare moments where Beale and Susanna can be bothered to talk at her - they never talk to her - those crucial reserves of innocence are being used up. Maisie's parents both confide in and vent at her as if she is an adult. She just wants to be loved as a child. Directors: Scott McGehee, David Siegel Starring: Onata Aprile, Julianne Moore, Steve Coogan, Alexander Skarsgard When a little knowledge is too much information