PRINCESS
Israel, 2014, 92 minutes, Colour.
Shira Haas, Keren Morz, Ori Pfeffer, Adar Zohar- Hanetz.
Directed by Tali Shalom Ezer.
Princess is a demanding film, winner of several awards and critically well-received.
The focus of the film is a 12-year-old girl, Adar, living with her mother who has divorced her father and is now living with a boyfriend, Michael. The mother and Michael are intimate in their relationship, rather uninhibited in the presence of Adar.
Shira Haas gives a strong performance as the young girl, clever, failing at school, not wanting to go to school, sometimes very dependent and her mother, sometimes the butt of her mother’s selfish remarks. She has her period. There is also an ambiguous interdependence between Adar and Michael, he stepping over boundaries with his physical games with Adar, wanting to paint her. She also seems, for her age and experience and inexperience, sexually curious.
The film uses a very interesting device, the introduction of a character, Alan, with the actor physically resembling Shira Haas, the two going out together, at home together, wearing similar clothes, the audience often mixing up the characters and trying to identify them in particular scenes.
The question can be raised whether Alan is a real character or is a product of Adar’s imagination, a projection of her experiences – especially the welcome from her mother and some sexual exploitation by Michael.
In many ways the film is very disturbing, but probing of the character of Adar and her emotional and sexual development, the film leaving the audience to make its own conclusions.
1. The impact of the film? The portrait of a family? The story of a young girl, puberty, relationship with her mother, her mental and physical troubles?
2. The Israeli setting, the city, homes, the streets, school? Authentic feel? The musical score? “You don’t own me…�?
3. The family set up, the relationship between the mother and her boyfriend, the absent father – and Adar meeting him in the street, his concern, their conversation, her care for him? Her mother and boyfriend and their manifestations of affection, love, sexuality? Uninhibited? The place of a young girl, sexuality, curiosity, maturity and immaturity, her first period and her mother’s response?
4. The character of Adar, her life and experience, her abilities, at school, her not wanting to go to school, the authorities, her mother writing the notes, her absences? Her health, being sick, physical, mental? Coping and not coping, staying at home, needing the affection of the mother, watching her mother at work? The clashes with her mother and her mother’s exasperation with her?
5. The portrait of the mother, her marriage and its failure, her life with Michael, love and sexuality? Depending on her daughter, her erratic moods with her, Adar wanting her to stay home and her doing so, yet her going to work, expressing anger and irritation? Her not seeing what was happening with Adar?
6. Michael, teacher, giving up his job or being fired? His relationship with Adar’s mother? His relationship with Adar? Intimacy, playing games, physical games, language? As an artist, his comments, his pictures, wanting to paint Adar?
7. The character of Alan? Interpreting the story in his being a real character? His place in the family, taken in, his own background on the street, his father, the meals, friendship with Adar? In and out of the home? The relationship with Michael, sexual and the consequences? Going out with Adar? Playing, simulating sex? His disappearance?
8. The character of Alan? Interpreting the story is one his being a character in Adar’s imagination? The physical similarity of the two actors? The similarity of their clothing, their hair? Buying clothes, Alan as a mirror image of Adar? His place in the household, with the mother, with Michael, his appearing and disappearing?
9. Michael, his behaviour with Alan, whether real or imagined by Adar? The consequences?
10. Adar, the cumulative effect of the experiences, her own attraction towards Michael, her curiosity, play, response to him?
11. The film inviting the audience to go into this home, to probe the characters, to empathise with Adar, to puzzle about Alan? And to ponder family love, love-hate, perversion,
sexual attitudes and behaviour with minors? And the consequences for a young girl?
