Overview
We meet six-year-old Maisie at the start of her parents' messy divorce. She is the calm observer to the custody battle. It's hard to say whether she's just resigned herself to the fighting or is doing her best to shut it out. Her fading rock-star mum (Julianne Moore) and sleazy art dealer dad (Steve Coogan) certainly don't seem to dwell on the effect it might have on her.
What makes this movie so memorable is that we get to experience the world from a young person's perspective. Scott McGehee and David Siegel's modern day adaptation of the Henry James's 1897 novel focuses our attention on Maisie the whole way through. Against one of her parents' screaming matches we follow Maisie's gaze to a toy, a bug, a window, anything to take her attention away from what's going on.
When her sweet-natured nanny Margot (Onata Aprile) jumps ship and moves in with her dad it's obvious it won't be long before she'll be playing more than just the role of nanny. When her mum finds out her ex has married the help, she's furious. She thinks it's a ploy to keep the courts happy so she turns around and marries the bartender who she's just started seeing. Thankfully Lincoln (Alexander Skarsgard) turns out to be a decent, kind-hearted bloke.
Lincoln's a little awkward around Maisie at first but he soon shows himself to be a bit of a gentle giant. There's a lovely scene early on in their relationship when he nonchantly goes to j-walk across the road. He gets halfway across before turning around to see Maisie waiting patiently back at the crossing. He apologises and goes back. When it's safe to cross she grabs his hand just as they step on to the road and the camera follows the pair from her level. It's that kind of trust and generosity of spirit that makes Maisie a delightful character and gives the film a lightness you wouldn't expect to find in a film about divorce.
At times you wonder how she could be so well-adjusted considering how unpredictable her parents are but then they aren't bad people, just self-centred. There are moments of tenderness between Maisie and both of her parents which make sense of her unfaltering loyalty towards them. The bond that develops between her, Lincoln and Margot is unusual but these actors make you believe it's possible. This means when Maisie finally does say enough to her mother's unreasonable demands it seems plausible and not just convenient in plot terms.
What Maisie Knew is a lovely little film which gives you a sense of what it might look, feel and sound like to be that little girl.