OFFScreen's latest indie import is Danish director Anders Morgenthaler's brain child, Princess. The story follows the unexpected death of a reigning porn star, Catherine (known in the business as "Princess"), who leaves her five-year-old child, Mia, in the hands of her associates. August, Catherine's brother, hears of her death and adopts Mia, saving the child from a terrible life.
August, a missionary, learns of the full extent of his sister's legacy and the extent to which the industry will keep her films, while trying, in vain, to keep Mia ignorant of her mother's career. August attempts to clear Catherine's name by destroying all record of her films. The result is a bloody and almost cathartic quest for retribution: August (and later even Mia) vs. the Porn Industry.
While Princess delivered many unique surprises, it was ultimately swallowed by its indecisiveness and lack of continuity. The film oscillates between dark tragedy and even darker humor, leaving the audience confused about which moments it should laugh at and which ones it should find devastating. This quality makes audience members uncomfortable: if they laugh when it is supposed to be a tender moment they feel terrible, but when they don't laugh and realize that the film is supposed to be funny, they feel like they've missed something special. This is no better exemplified than when Mia helps August burn and brutally attack porn executives. Though this scene could be interpreted as humorous, violent irony, it could also be seen as the ultimate tragedy. Some in the miniscule audience laughed (albeit, possibly in disgust or shock) while others recoiled in pain. A movie cannot succeed unless it effectively conveys what it is supposed to be: a comedy and a drama.
From the chaotic beginning it seems that the film has nowhere to go but toward a happy ending in which Mia and August conquer the porn industry and live happily ever after. But the movie continues to switch errantly between comedy and tragedy until about five minutes from the end when it decides to be a poignant tragedy, following a finale that is as unexpected as it is unappealing. It simply does not mesh with the rest of the movie and exemplifies the movie's reliance on shock-and-awe spectacle instead of a real story and character development.
Much of the back story is covered through home video footage taken from a shaky camcorder with horrible picture and sound (though it is subtitled). Although this is a creative method of exposition, the poor quality makes it slightly difficult to discern what is happening in some of the flashbacks. This contributes to the sometimes murky and seemingly unfocused plot, leaving a few of what could have been the most emotional moments unrealized.
Sadly, Princess' characters are so underdeveloped and two-dimensional that the movie's full emotional potential is lost. August's actions require an unfavorable suspension of disbelief in regards to his quest for vengeance. One must remind oneself that this man is a priest as he brutally maims anyone and everyone standing in his way to clear his sister's name. All of the hero's motivation is implied: his guilt, regret and sorrow. Any attempt at making this central character appear real was almost entirely fruitless.
Nevertheless, there are still a few aspects that deserve praise. Highest among them sits the movies uniqueness and concern with spectacle. Princess defies convention, blasting onto the screen with a concept that is fresh and new. For example, there are several scenes in which Mia's escapist dreams are shown in juxtaposition with August's nighttime brutality. Although their beauty is exchanged later in the film, these scenes are perhaps the movie's most poignant, emotional moments.
Although Princess was undoubtedly creative and different, it isn't unique enough to redeem all its glaring flaws. There is nothing here that hasn't been done more successfully dozens of times elsewhere, including the film's greatest asset: originality.
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