My Little Princess
Dir. Eva Ionesco. 105mins. France.

Hovering around the fine line between avant garde and one step too far, Eva Ionesco’s ‘My Little Princess’ challenges its audience to question where they stand as the boundaries of art are challenged.

Drawing parallels to Ionesco’s own childhood, the story follows the downward spiral of an underage Violetta (played by Anamaria Vartolomei) whose innocence is distastefully abused by her mother Hanah (Isabelle Huppert), to successfully make her mark in the Parisian art scene. Photographing her in progressively more suggestive poses as art critics rave, any who disagree are called ‘backwards’ and ‘behind the times’, while she pushes Violetta through an isolated and confused childhood. As Violetta becomes aware and begins to rebel, Hanah reassures her, ‘what I do with you is art. It’s different’, stating boldly that, ‘the world is full of idiots’ and accusing her of being brainwashed. It becomes a challenge directed at the audience, to question the film itself and their view as either conservative thinkers with morals, ‘idiots’, or a suggested ‘superior’ who can appreciate the art.

It’s an impressive psychological game and Ionesco has the ability to provoke thought. The line however, was evidently crossed. Distribution within Lebanon omitted a scene in which Violetta poses with religious iconography, deeming it far too controversial for our sensitive eyes.

Despite a number of weak moments (none as painful as Jethro Cave’s cringe-worthy appearance), Ionesco brings out the best in Vartolomei in glimpses of brilliance. Isabelle Huppert on the other hand develops a deeply layered and disturbed character whose eccentricity at first seems overacted, but it is her impressive consistency that convinces otherwise. Meanwhile Bertrand Burgalat’s music, whilst at times verging on melodramatic, sits comfortably with the striking cinematography.

As Hanah criticizes her daughter, ‘you’re too inhibited, spread your legs’, Ionesco pushes our inhibitions, to spread our minds rather than our legs. Overall it’s worth seeing, but, call me a closed minded square, not worth writing home about.

Showing now at Metropolis Empire Sofil.