What Maisie Knew might not be a great film, but in its own way it’s a lovely piece of craftsmanship. Through its structuring and camerawork it manages to capture exactly what it is like to be a child in turbulent, scary circumstances involving erratic adults – not completely understanding things, always seeking whatever physical reassurance is available, and withdrawing into another world whenever possible. But unlike similar films that orient themselves from a child’s perspective (like Beasts of the Southern Wild,) Maisie manages to do this without dumbing the rest of the story down to Neanderthal levels. All four adults – the two selfish, useless parents and the two exploited but caring individuals who eventually come to look after Maisie – are decently-developed as characters. The film’s dialog is solid, its scene-structure is uniformly good, and the music is terrific. I’m not sure I would watch it again (I might,)  but it is very enjoyable the first time round.

The casting is superb. Ice-queen Julianne Moore is perfect as the cold, neurotic mother, and Steve Coogan again proves an ideal actor for playing an empty shell of a man. In contrast, Alexander Skarsgård and Joanna Vanderham are wonderfully warm and human on-screen, perfectly befitting their roles. The kid playing Maisie (Onata Aprile) gives about as good a child performance as I’ve ever scene.

What Maisie Knew is a lovely little film. I highly recommend it.