TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Year: 2012
Running Time: 99 min
SYNOPSIS
WHAT MAISIE KNEW, a contemporary adaptation of the Henry James novel, which recently completed filming on location in New York. Scott McGehee and David Siegel (THE DEEP END) are directing the touching comedic drama starring Julianne Moore, Alexander Skarsgard and Steve Coogan and produced by Daniela Taplin Lundberg and Riva Marker (THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT).


Darkly comic and emotionally compelling, the film centers on Maisie, a six-year-old girl enmeshed in the bitter divorce of her mother, a rock and roll icon, and her father, a charming but distracted art dealer.  As Maisie is shuttled back and forth between them, she comes to rely more and more on her parents’ respective new partners who begin to see how selfish and damaged the girl’s parents really are, while finding themselves falling in love with one another.   
CREDITS
Director David Siegel
Director Scott McGehee
Writer Carroll Cartwright
Writer Nancy Doyne
Based on the novel by Henry James
Producer Charles Weinstock
Producer Daniela Taplin Lundberg
Producer William Teitler
Production Company Red Crown Productions
Cinematographer Giles Nuttgens
CAST
Julianne Moore as Susanna
Steve Coogan as Baele
Onata Aprile as Maisie
Alexander Skarsgård as Lincoln
Joanna Vanderham as Margo
ADDITIONAL INFO
Starring Julianna Moore (The Kids are Alright, A Single Man, I'm Not There, Safe) and Alexander Skarsgård (True Blood)
 
David Siegel  | director
Siegel & McGehee began making short films together in San Francisco in 1990. Together they have collaborated on three features as writers/directors/producers, including: their critically acclaimed debut, SUTURE (1994); a playful upending of genre expectations. Further in 2001 they did, THE DEEP END, an award-winning suspense thriller adapted from the 1947 Elizabeth Sanxay Holding novel The Blank Wall; and most recently, UNCERTAINTY (2009), an improvised exploration of chance and choice. Their films have screened at the Telluride, Toronto, Sundance, and Cannes Film Festivals, amongst others, and won numerous awards. Their film BEE SEASON, written by Naomi Foner, was released by Fox Searchlight in 2005; and they are currently at work on WHAT MAISIE KNEW, adapted by Carroll Cartwright and Nancy Doyne from the Henry James novel of the same title.
Filmography
2012 WHAT MAISIE KNEW
2009 UNCERTAINTY
2005 BEE SEASON
2001 THE DEEP END
1993 SUTURE
 
Scott McGehee  | director
Siegel & McGehee began making short films together in San Francisco in 1990. Together they have collaborated on three features as writers/directors/producers, including: their critically acclaimed debut, SUTURE (1994); a playful upending of genre expectations. Further in 2001 they did, THE DEEP END, an award-winning suspense thriller adapted from the 1947 Elizabeth Sanxay Holding novel The Blank Wall; and most recently, UNCERTAINTY (2009), an improvised exploration of chance and choice. Their films have screened at the Telluride, Toronto, Sundance, and Cannes Film Festivals, amongst others, and won numerous awards. Their film BEE SEASON, written by Naomi Foner, was released by Fox Searchlight in 2005; and they are currently at work on WHAT MAISIE KNEW, adapted by Carroll Cartwright and Nancy Doyne from the Henry James novel of the same title.
Filmography
2012 WHAT MAISIE KNEW
2009 UNCERTAINTY
2005 BEE SEASON
2001 THE DEEP END
1993 SUTURE
 
TRAILERS
 
 
PUBLICITY & REVIEWS
Screen Daily
08-Sep-2012
Author: Tim Grierson
"A heartbreakingly perceptive illustration of the axiom that when parents get divorced, the ones most affected are the children, What Maisie Knew is a closely observed and deeply emotional drama in which a kind-hearted six-year-old girl only slowly begins to understand the complexity of her mother and father’s dysfunctional relationship. Guided by a superb cast — and a strong turn from newcomer Onata Aprile — the latest from directors Scott McGehee and David Siegel (The Deep End, Bee Season) wrings tears but does so with a great deal of tenderness and intelligence."
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The Hollywood Reporter
08-Sep-2012
Author: John DeFore
"Tasteful melodrama benefits from uniformly strong performances"
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Variety
08-Sep-2012
Author: Justin Chang
"Henry James' 1897 novel about a child caught between two horribly unfit parents has been effortlessly updated to the present day and adapted to the screen in "What Maisie Knew." Anchored by five strong performances, including a piercing turn by Onata Aprile in the 6-year-old title role, this beautifully observed drama essentially strikes the same sad note for 98 minutes, though with enough sensitivity and emotional variation to make the experience cumulatively heartrending rather than merely aggravating."
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National Public Reporter
09-Sep-2012
Author: Linda Holmes
"A Big Film On Very Small Shoulders… It is rare to see an excellent film about a child made for adults"
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Globe and Mail
08-Sep-2012
Author: 
“An intricate, impressionistic tale of divorce, custody and other upper-classy problems, it is Nora Ephron-level relatable. It's also told by a child. As little Maisie Beale, eight-year-old Onata Aprile is the most precocious, precious foal of a girl since Mara Wilson in Miracle on 34th Street (1994).”
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The Guardian
12-Sep-2012
Author: Henry Barnes
"This modern-day adaptation of Henry James's novel about a child shuttled back and forth between her divorced parents features an excellent performance from newcomer Onata Aprile."
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AWARDS
Year Category Awarded By Award Result Award Recipient