Directed by Andres Morgenthaler
Featuring voices by Thure Lindhardt, Stein Fischer Christensen
I just have to confess my love for the good people over at Palisades Tartan. An animated Danish film about revenge and prostitution? Count me in. Princess was recently released on DVD by Palisades Tartan and I gave it a try.
The Movie
August (Thure Lindhardt) is a priest that has been filling his days with missionary work. That is until he receives the call that his sister named Princess has died and has left a daughter Mia (Stein Fischer Christensen) orphaned.
After leaving home, Princess selected a life of prostitution and pornography. This choice has weighed heavy on August’s heart and mind his entire life. After he discovers that her death was a direct result of this sinful life, he decides he is going to save Mia and seek revenge on every single person that helped his sister waste her life and led her to an early grave. He literally wants to “purify” his sister’s name and that is going to entail “erasing” everyone involved in turning her into who she was at her death.
Mia is a tragic and heartbreaking character. She has only lived a life surrounded by pornography, an emotionally damaged mother and a life of sadness and disfunction. She has hope that August can fix all of that.
And so August with Mia by his side, sets forth to put things right, if that can be done. But, will this path of devastation, revenge and pain fix what is broken in both of their hearts?
This film brings to my mind the powerful quote by Genghis Kahn : “I am the punishment of God…If you had not committed great sins, God would not have sent a punishment like me upon you.” That just about sums up the thought that drives August every waking thought and the plot to this film.
Princess totally took me by surprise. Is is all at once breathtaking in its style, with a wondrous mix of animation and brief beats of live action and a searing film about revenge and redemption. It is a film that will linger in your mind long after the credits role.
I cannot say enough about the animation style. It is unlike anything else you have seen. While Mia is represented as beautiful and angelic, all the other characters are drawn and animated to represent their grotesque appearances and depraved and twisted intentions.
I cannot compare Morgenthaler’s style to another animator, past nor present. That is a high compliment in itself. He is truly one of a kind.
Simply put, Princess is a film that begs to be discovered and experienced. Its a no brainer to add this one to the Netflix queue immediately but real film fans are going to want to make a permanent place for this one in the collection.
7/10
The Video
The film is presented in anamorphic widescreen. The color palette is vibrant and the transfer is respectable. I did not notice any instances of grain or artifacts.
6/10
The Audio
The film is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Digital 2.0 in Danish with English subtitles. The dialogue is crystal clear and easily understood. There is a nice usage of all the speakers in a 5.1 environment.
7/10
The Packaging and Bonus Features
Princess is presented in a standard amaray case with eye catching artwork that captures the feel of the film nicely. Good job!
The only bonus feature is a trailer for the film.
1/10
Overall ( Not an Average) 7/10
The Review
The Movie 7/10
The Video 6/10
The Audio 7/10
The Packaging and Bonus Features 1/10
Overall (Not an Average) 7/10