I was drawn to 'Princess' after seeing Shira Haas'(Adar) performance in 'The Zookeeper's Wife' as a young Holocaust victim. I see it as an achievement when an actor's performance creates enough emotion and control over you that you want to see their other performances. The film blew me away for many reasons, and Haas was only one of the reasons.
The film focuses on the 12-year-old protagonist Adar, a gifted young girl who prefers to hide the potential she holds. At home, she faces an abnormal reality. Her narcissistic mother, Alma(Keren Mor) is barely home and her uncanny boyfriend, Michael (Ori Pfeffer) is always around since being fired from his job. The atmosphere of their home is sexual with her parental figures making out in the kitchen and her and Michael playing forbidden games. In attempt to escape her harsh reality, Adar finds a dream-like boy who bears a striking resemblance to her to help support her. Only for a seeping scent of darkness to break her fantasy to pieces.
With extravagant and brave performances and the glimpse of the director's talent shining in the film, Princess is a milestone for the Israeli film industry. The movie does not give away any predictable clues or ideas of how Adar's life will wound up by the time she leaves our view and the screen blinks to darkness. Haas is remarkable as Adar and delivers a true and realistic performance of a young person drowning in a sour liquid called madness.Mor is great as her selfish mother who is almost successful at stealing Haas' spotlight.
Tali-Shalom Ezer has created a film not only for entertainment but as a warning sign of what happens in the minds of young children or adolescents when they are struck with abuse and neglect. Her film is a piece of art on her country's wall that should be cherished and shown upon her whole nation. The cinematography is beautiful, the screenplay is superb and the atmosphere is ominous.
Despite my compliment for the film,I do wish more happened in the film since there was sometimes a feeling of emptiness and a craving for more as the reel played.
Princess receives 9/10 stars
The film focuses on the 12-year-old protagonist Adar, a gifted young girl who prefers to hide the potential she holds. At home, she faces an abnormal reality. Her narcissistic mother, Alma(Keren Mor) is barely home and her uncanny boyfriend, Michael (Ori Pfeffer) is always around since being fired from his job. The atmosphere of their home is sexual with her parental figures making out in the kitchen and her and Michael playing forbidden games. In attempt to escape her harsh reality, Adar finds a dream-like boy who bears a striking resemblance to her to help support her. Only for a seeping scent of darkness to break her fantasy to pieces.
With extravagant and brave performances and the glimpse of the director's talent shining in the film, Princess is a milestone for the Israeli film industry. The movie does not give away any predictable clues or ideas of how Adar's life will wound up by the time she leaves our view and the screen blinks to darkness. Haas is remarkable as Adar and delivers a true and realistic performance of a young person drowning in a sour liquid called madness.Mor is great as her selfish mother who is almost successful at stealing Haas' spotlight.
Tali-Shalom Ezer has created a film not only for entertainment but as a warning sign of what happens in the minds of young children or adolescents when they are struck with abuse and neglect. Her film is a piece of art on her country's wall that should be cherished and shown upon her whole nation. The cinematography is beautiful, the screenplay is superb and the atmosphere is ominous.
Despite my compliment for the film,I do wish more happened in the film since there was sometimes a feeling of emptiness and a craving for more as the reel played.
Princess receives 9/10 stars