Princess – DVD Review

The Flick

Sometimes when I watch a film there is a moment where my brain goes from watching the movie to interacting with it. When this happens I start asking questions and really contemplating what I am watching, at that moment I am viewing art. Within the first few minutes of Princess I had such a revelation. I’ll get this out of the way now and say that if you aren’t willing to leave your Hollywood movie comfort zone this is not one for you.

Written and directed by Anders Morgenthaler, this Dutch mixed media gem is composed of 80% animation and 20% live action rolled seamlessly together. Princess is a story of revenge, sex and the loss of innocence. August, a former priest takes custody of his 5-year-old niece after Christina aka Princess (his porn star sister) dies an unnecessary death. After the adult video company she worked for refuses to destroy their stock of movies that contains her work August takes matters into his own hands.

It is rare now a days to see such a human touch in animation, it was beautifully drawn with creative angles and truly amazing scene transitions. I loved the use of live action; it served as a device for flashbacks mostly and had a VHS quality giving it a reminiscent feel. I loved the implication of memories being more real than the present moment that came with the vintage look of the live action. This film was methodically made, there was less dialogue than most movies but all the dialog was so potent and carefully placed that everything said was important and powerful.

Princess was a truly unique take on a revenge movie with an interesting twist at the end. I really have nothing bad to say about it. I’ll admit that I seem to find the best in every movie but this was a masterfully done work that was meticulously crafted. I can’t get over the beautifully provocative imagery or the perfectly composed soundscape of the movie. On top of that the story was compelling and the characters were complex. What else can one ask for in a movie?

The DVD:

Unfortunately there wasn’t much for features except for the original trailer. I would have loved to see the director talk about the movie or some behind the scenes about the animation process but honestly I can live with just the movie. The quality of the DVD was high, with great audio and a crisp look. No problems there.

Conclusion

This is a complex movie that sucked me in from the start; it had the craft and intention of a hand made quilt. I have nothing but respect for film makers like Morgenthaler who are so brutally honest in their work, showing how selfish, lustful and violent we can be; which is really what a revenge film should be. I loved this one.

The Flick: Rating:

The DVD: Rating: