If you thought Foster's role in Taxi Driver was disturbing, you ain't seen nothing yet...
I don't know how to rate this movie, but it made me feel dirty. It is an interesting thriller where Jodie Foster plays a 13 year old girl who lives by herself in a cottage in a quiet little town and hides some dark secrets that you discover as the film progresses. Most of the "thrill" factor of the film comes from Martin Sheen's character who is the local pedophile (everyone in town knows about his 'predilections') and is trying quite transparently and disturbingly to prey on Foster's character. Along the way, Foster's 13 year old character ends up having a love affair with a boy from the local high school who is a crippled amateur magician (no kidding).
Foster is an incredible actress, everyone in the film does a good job, and this film has plenty to recommend it. However, the pedophile theme is disturbing and sometimes crosses into exploitation. What is particularly bothersome to me is that after we have this whole Martin Sheen the detestable pedophile theme played throughout the movie we are then shown a tender love making scene between Foster and her crippled magician boyfriend, including nudity as they disrobe (I don't really want to see sex scenes with 13 year old girls, and I especially don't want to see sex scenes with naked 13 year old girls, OK?!? I felt like I needed to go take a shower after watching this.), forcing us to view Foster's 13 year old character in a sexual light. As far as I'm concerned, that is exploitative and really is intended to play for kicks to a pedophile element in the audience. The easiest way to express the message of this movie would be: "Little girls -- so innocent, and yet so sexy." It's f--ed up if you ask me.
There is some satisfaction, however, in the fact that Martin Sheen's character gets his just desserts in the end. The film is well made, the acting is superb, and it is certainly something from out of left field, so to speak. Were it not for the weird themes and situations, however, this film would be little more than a collection of genre clichés.
The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane reminds me of The Blue Lagoon (Brooke Shields) in that it is a well made, beautiful, thought provoking film, and yet I really wouldn't allow my children to be around the people who made it. However, The Blue Lagoon has much more to recommend it than The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane. I would only recommend this film to genuine Foster connoisseurs or to people who are really looking for some strange and unique cinema to see, because this certainly is strange and unique. ...How this movie was ever rated 'PG' is beyond the scope of my considerable imagination. Recommended only for well-adjusted adults.
I don't know how to rate this movie, but it made me feel dirty. It is an interesting thriller where Jodie Foster plays a 13 year old girl who lives by herself in a cottage in a quiet little town and hides some dark secrets that you discover as the film progresses. Most of the "thrill" factor of the film comes from Martin Sheen's character who is the local pedophile (everyone in town knows about his 'predilections') and is trying quite transparently and disturbingly to prey on Foster's character. Along the way, Foster's 13 year old character ends up having a love affair with a boy from the local high school who is a crippled amateur magician (no kidding).
Foster is an incredible actress, everyone in the film does a good job, and this film has plenty to recommend it. However, the pedophile theme is disturbing and sometimes crosses into exploitation. What is particularly bothersome to me is that after we have this whole Martin Sheen the detestable pedophile theme played throughout the movie we are then shown a tender love making scene between Foster and her crippled magician boyfriend, including nudity as they disrobe (I don't really want to see sex scenes with 13 year old girls, and I especially don't want to see sex scenes with naked 13 year old girls, OK?!? I felt like I needed to go take a shower after watching this.), forcing us to view Foster's 13 year old character in a sexual light. As far as I'm concerned, that is exploitative and really is intended to play for kicks to a pedophile element in the audience. The easiest way to express the message of this movie would be: "Little girls -- so innocent, and yet so sexy." It's f--ed up if you ask me.
There is some satisfaction, however, in the fact that Martin Sheen's character gets his just desserts in the end. The film is well made, the acting is superb, and it is certainly something from out of left field, so to speak. Were it not for the weird themes and situations, however, this film would be little more than a collection of genre clichés.
The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane reminds me of The Blue Lagoon (Brooke Shields) in that it is a well made, beautiful, thought provoking film, and yet I really wouldn't allow my children to be around the people who made it. However, The Blue Lagoon has much more to recommend it than The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane. I would only recommend this film to genuine Foster connoisseurs or to people who are really looking for some strange and unique cinema to see, because this certainly is strange and unique. ...How this movie was ever rated 'PG' is beyond the scope of my considerable imagination. Recommended only for well-adjusted adults.