My Little Princess

My Little Princess
Directed by	Eva Ionesco
Produced by	Les Productions Bagheera Canal + France 2
Written by	Eva Ionesco Marc Cholodenko Philippe Le Guay
Starring	Isabelle Huppert Anamaria Vartolomei Denis Lavant Louis-Do de Lencquesaing
Music by	Olivier Mauvezin
Cinematography	Jeanne Lapoirie
Distributed by	Sophie Dulac Distribution
Release date(s)	11 May 2010 (2010-05-11) (Cannes)
Running time	135
Country	France Romania
Language	French English Romanian

My Little Princess is a French-Romanian drama film directed by Eva Ionesco and inspired by her relationship with her mother, the well-known artistic photographer Irina Ionesco whose pictures of her young daughter aroused discussions when they were published back in the 1970s. The movie illustrates a situation which a first glimpse seems to be a paradox: Whilst revealing more and more of her daughter to the public the mother seems to get increasingly estranged from her and vice versa.^[1] Anamaria Vartolomei and Isabelle Huppert show this lack of affection so convincingly they have even been accused of interacting insufficiently as actors. ^[2] However, Isabelle Huppert told German Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in an interview the shooting of this film had been one of her more peculiar professional experiences because on the set she had had the feeling she was indeed the director's mother. ^[3]

Plot

Violetta is raised by her grandmother. („Mamie“, the French equivalent for „Grandma“.)^[4] Her mother Hanna tries to make a living on making photographs and concentrates on her dreams to become a famous artist. In order to succeed as an artist she doesn't worry about dating men of questionable reputation.^[5] Only every now and then her mother visits her daughter but during these occasions it occurs to her that her daughter could be a potential model. She starts exploiting her daughter who by transforming into a kind of Lolita becomes increasingly alienated from other children of her age. ^[6] At school she is eventually frequently insulted and rejected.^[7] Then Mamie dies and Hannah's photographs are about to unequivocally overstep the line of acceptability.^{[8] [9]} Hanna even coerces Violetta mercilessly into cooperation by withholding her food in case she doesn't agree to pose for increasingly daring photographs. ^[10] Eventually Hanna's right of custody for her twelve years old daughter is at stake. ^[11]

Reception

German magazine Focus found Anamaria Vartolomei was convincing as a young girl whose life eventually turns into a nightmare because of her mother's artistic ambitions in the Paries of the 1970s. ^[12]

References

1. ^ "selfishness is consistent throughout the film but particularly in the early days of their working relationship". http://www.quietearth.us/articles/2011/09/30/VIFF-2011-Review-of-Eva-Ionescos-MY-LITTLE-PRINCESS. Retrieved 2011-10-17. 
2. ^ "Malheureusement, elles jouent toutes seules, chacune de leur côté". http://www.abusdecine.com/fiche-film.php?numero=4004. Retrieved 2011-10-17. 
3. ^ "Ich habe diese Mutter gespielt, eine starke, herrische, aber auch verwundbare Frau, war am Set also quasi die Mutter der Regisseurin - eine merkwürdige Erfahrung.". http://www.faz.net/aktuell/feuilleton/kino/im-gespraech-isabelle-huppert-lieben-sie-die-abwechslung-madame-huppert-11500585.html. Retrieved 2011-10-23. 
4. ^ "Violetta vit avec sa grand-mère et souffre de l’absence de sa mère". http://www.ungrandmoment.be/my-little-princess/. Retrieved 2011-10-17. 
5. ^ "mother Hannah (Isabelle Huppert) is away living a bohemian lifestyle, mixing with other artists of dubious character". http://filmjournal.net/noelm/2011/07/12/my-little-princess/. Retrieved 2011-10-17. 
6. ^ "Violetta turns into a Lolita figure, standing forlornly in the school playground in tight hot pants". http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/latest-reviews/my-little-princess/5027680.article. Retrieved 2011-10-17. 
7. ^ "À l'école, ses camrades l'insultent et la rejettent.". http://www.fichesducinema.com/spip/spip.php?article2611. Retrieved 2011-10-17. 
8. ^ "Pic's most troubling scene involves a special commission, in which Hanah instructs her daughter to strip". http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117945253/. Retrieved 2011-10-17. 
9. ^ "La jeune fille avait même simulé à 11 ans des actes sexuels dans un film". http://www.avoir-alire.com/article.php3?id_article=16464. Retrieved 2011-10-17. 
10. ^ "Ihre Mutter, Irina, macht unerbittlich klar: ohne Fotos - kein Essen.". http://www.daserste.de/ttt/beitrag_dyn~uid,pknvhtjh2ze6idaj~cm.asp#moreinfo3. Retrieved 2011-10-24. 
11. ^ "Hannah is accused of being an unfit mother". http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/my-little-princess-cannes-2011-189748. Retrieved 2011-10-17. 
12. ^ "Die Nachwuchsschauspielerin Anamaria Vartolomei überzeugt als junges Mädchen, für die der Traum ihrer Mutter von einer Künstlerkarriere im Paris der 70er Jahre zum Alptraum wird.". http://www.focus.de/kultur/kino_tv/film-im-not-a-fking-princess-der-alptraum-einer-lolita_aid_677586.html. Retrieved 2011-10-24. 

External links

• My Little Princess at the Internet Movie Database