Review: The Girl in the Book

The girl is Alice (Emily VanCamp), an editorial assistant at a New York publishing house. She is a writer, though her aspirations seem permanently paused. She's keen on taking on more promising assignments, perhaps edit the novel she has been trying to get her boss Jack (Jordan Lage) to read and publish.

Jack has other things in mind, namely tasking her with handling the marketing of the re-release of Waking Eyes, a modern-day classic hailed for its heroine, who is described as a female Holden Caulfield. The fact that this perceptive look into the mind of a teenage girl was written by Milan Daneker (Michael Nyqvist), an expat three times the age of his central character, made it all the more impressive. For Jack, Alice is ideal for the job since Milan happens to be one of her father's clients. However, Alice's unease at reuniting with Milan suggests there may be a dark history between the two.

Milan is eager to catch up and reminisce about old times; Alice would rather do anything but. From the series of flashbacks presented, one can see why. Teenage Alice (Ana Mulvoy-Ten) is treated as mere window dressing by her pompous and womanising father (Michael Cristofer), who sings her praises to his friends and clients but barely notices her absence when she retreats into her bedroom during one of his dinner parties.

It is there in her bedroom that Milan, her father's newest discovery, happens upon her. Milan is the first person to notice her, to encourage her creativity, to talk to and with her rather than at her. Soon they are meeting every Thursday, ostensibly under the guise of Milan mentoring the budding writer, but the encounters evolve into something far more complicated. Writer-director Marya Cohn displays a remarkable deftness and sensitivity in her direction of these scenes between young Alice and Milan. They are uncomfortable to watch. Alice is intelligent but far too young to fully grasp what she is allowing to unfold. The beauty of Nyqvist's portrayal is that Milan is not simply a bad man. He is enthralled with young Alice, perhaps in the same way that Lewis Carroll was besotted by Alice Liddell, and Milan's seduction of her is both predatory and strangely solicitous.

Indeed, the shifting power dynamics is astutely explored. Milan may be in control by virtue of his masculinity, experience and physicality but young Alice is the one who initiates the tutelage and the one who defines how far he can go. It does not excuse Milan's behaviour, but it helps to understand how that relationship has defined Alice in her adult life. Nearing 30, Alice is more insecure than the Alice that Milan took advantage of all those years ago. She yearns for the stability that her best friend Sadie (Ali Ahn) has in her marriage and motherhood, but Alice sabotages every opportunity, including her deepening connection with political activist, Emmet (David Call). Alice even commits an act so seemingly inexcusable that it is a testament to VanCamp's attuned portrayal that Alice merits both the audience's dislike and sympathy.

There is one mark against this otherwise accomplished film, one that occurs in the film's third act. It is glaringly out-of-place and it undermines the message of a woman claiming her own life and power. Nevertheless, The Girl in the Book is an auspicious debut for Cohn and an excellent showcase for the talented VanCamp, best known for the television series Brothers and Sisters and Revenge and soon to be seen in a more expanded role as Agent 13 in Captain America: Civil War.

The Girl in the Book

Directed by: Marya Cohn

Written by: Marya Cohn

Starring: Emily VanCamp, Michael Nyqvist, Ana Mulvoy-Ten, David Call, Michael Cristofer, Talia Balsam, Ali Ahn, Jordan Lage