Directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel
Starring Onata Aprile, Julianne Moore, Steve Coogan, Alexander Skarsgård and Joanna Vanderham
Drama
99 MinsDrama
R
What Maisie Knew is an emotional powerhouse of a film led by an adorably funny-faced young actress functioning on a purely natural level, allowing the "performance" underneath to disappear entirely. It strikes a particularly meaningful chord for the "divorced generation" and anyone who has been part of a broken home will feel heart-warbling empathy for the fledgling Maisie. Directors Scott McGehee and David Siegel tread carefully through difficult territory and instead of offering a tired, sentimentally-formulated heart-throbber, they have crafted a compelling but tragic familial drama that breaks the mold by being dreadfully honest.
The best of the 45 features and shorts from nine countries that showed January 9 - 24, 2013 at the 22nd annual New York Jewish Film Festival, organized by The Jewish Museum and the Film Society of Lincoln Center, presented thoughtful perspectives on Jewish artists from Israel and the Diaspora wrestling with family stories and Zionist pioneer stereotypes. 