Unlimitedia Sick Product of a Sick System

FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Edison Witt The first must-see film of the year.

Married Baby Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

jmaruyama While released to theaters in Denmark way back in June of last year, it was only recently that I was finally able to view this film for myself and see what all the buzz was about. "Princess" combines live action video segments with simple animation to tell a modern day "Grimm's Fairy Tale" that is both shocking in its subject matter and stark in its overall emotional storyline. Thure Lindhardt is the voice of August Chistensen, a fledgling Catholic Priest who has come back to his hometown to visit his younger sister Christina (Stine Fischer Christensen in live action flashbacks) whom he has become estranged of late. Christina has become a rising porn star in Demark (she goes by the alluring porn name "Princess"). August is aghast at his sister's depraved lifestyle, even more so after discovering that she is still performing lewd acts even while pregnant with her first child. He leaves without getting the chance to talk with her but holds out hope that they can mend their once close relationshipTragically, reconciliation never materializes as Christina dies five years later, leaving her daughter Mia (voiced by Mira Hilli Møller Hallund) at the hands of a kindly brothel madam. Guilty and concerned about his niece's situation, August decides to take Mia to live with him. August finds his faith severely tested as he begins to unravel and discover the horrific life his sister has lead and the abuse both she and Mia experienced (Mia has been both physically and sexually abused). The crowning indignity of Christina's tragic life is the phallic adorned mausoleum erected in her "honor" by Christina's longtime lover and "pimp", Charlie (who owns the mega porn company "Paradise Lust" where Christina was employed). August's rage soon boils over when he finds Mia innocently mimicking the sexual acts found in one of Christina's home movies. He soon dedicates himself to "eradicating" all evidence of Christina's humiliating life from this world--destroying the porn company she was a part of and to kill Charlie.The screenplay by Mette Heeno and Anders Morgenthaler is quite inventive. "Princess" is most certainly a revenge story but it is also the story of innocence lost. It is quite sad to see the once vibrant and personable Christina "fall" into the world of porn and the ramifications her life has had not only on her but also her daughter. Similar to "Death Wish", August represents the everyman pushed to the limits of patience and tolerance and driven to the point of rage and madness.Director Morgenthaler's use of simple animation to tell this story is very effective indeed. The sordid and dirty world of porn is reduced into a surreal and exaggerated childlike cartoon, an almost fantasy. It is reflective of August's desire to want to shield and protect Mia from the harsh reality (represented by the grainy video of her mother and the wicked and tragic path she took) of the real world and keep her within a more innocent child's world. That being said this is not a kid's movie, and the violence and bloodshed unleashed by August is definitely startling, but not to the point of being obscene.The character designs of Mads Juul and Kristjan Møller, while vaguely reminiscent of Japanese animation, reminded me a lot of the work of Ralph Baski's especially his 70's movies like "Fritz the Cat" or "Coonskin" which also brought adult themes to the medium of cartoon. I found Mia to be a bit hard to believe as a character as she seemed much too "mature" to be a five year old. It also didn't help that her character was drawn with an overly massive head (I assume to accommodate her expressive facial features and wide eyes). Perhaps this was done in a deliberate manner."Princess" tells a cautionary tale that seeks to say that nothing good comes from revenge except more sadness and tragedy. It is not a happy tale nor was it meant to be."Princess" is not for everyone but will certainly leave a long lasting impression for those able to see it.

linkkk Princess was the most anticipated film of the Midnight Madness program this year at TIFF for me after I heard the basic premise of the film and was surprised to learn that a story of that nature would be told in an animated feature. It turned out to be a very hardcore noir revenge tale that was gritty as hell and dealt with some very sensitive material. I wish there was some official website/trailer, or even some images I could find on the net from this movie but I can't seem to much at all. To compare it to other works I guess the movie felt to me like it had certain elements from films like Taxi Driver, Leon: The Professional, and a load of other film noir just set in a more underground modern day euro trash setting.The story follows a man named August, a priest in the opening of the film, who finally tracks down his pregnant sister, whom he discovers in a very shocking scene engaged with several men in a gang bang. The images of that and the character's reaction, framed in an intense close up of his quivering blue eyes that look like they could crack at any moment, pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the movie. Years later, August's sister, who we learn was a renowned porn star named Princess, is found murdered, and her daughter now orphaned. August must now take his sister's daughter Mia under his care, while slowly discovering the deep trauma this child has suffered living under such a degrading, sexually oppressive environment. The connection these two characters form is what's most powerful about this movie, as they both endure the loss of a sister/mother who fell into such a disgusting, dangerous world, and Mia who is probably only about 5-8 years old slowly learns who her mother really was.What definitely carries the film though is August's transformation from rational, peaceful man and caring figure into an infuriated angel of death to those responsible for killing his sister and continuing to make money from her Adult Video sales and merchandise, exploiting her even in death, while trying to eliminate all the existing pornographic material of his sister. You even begin to see symbolic traces of religious empowerment in August's extreme actions later on in the film. This man reaches such a breaking point that when he finally unleashes the results will leave you speechless. The level of violence in this film is surprising at times, though never becomes too indulgent and over the top, as brutality almost seems quite necessary and appropriate at times given the subject matter and themes of the film. This is a man who enters a world that completely contradicts everything he holds to be morally right and pure, a world that destroyed his only sister, and whom he is somewhat responsible for plunging her into as you'll learn later on in the film. I wish i could rant on more about the animation and direction in it too. Really, the animated medium this story reaches it's audience is so effectively used, every transition and image is so well executed, while the animation is quite simplistic yet very well suited to the gritty places and faces we're introduced to. 20% of the film is actually live action camcorder footage which appears as glimpses into the character's pasts, as August used to record everything on his video camera, though we never actually see him in any of these live action flashbacks. There is so much beauty to this film despite much of it's vile content; the settings, depth of character & expression, atmosphere, colors and soundtrack all create such a wonderfully hypnotic visual experience and a film that I eagerly await to see again. I doubt it'll ever get much of a theatrical release given the level of violence and sexuality in it, especially when dealing with a small child, but lets hope there'll be more buzz around Princess in the future.

Archon This is great anime for adults. The story moves you, affects you, so that you will remember it. It is like the hardcore Japanese manga anime stuff with over the top violence and gore, but also with lots of implied sick, twisted, disturbing things. It is truly cruel to watch. A lot of other things I watch are considered sick and disturbed but they never affected me. Princess did...Sometimes real live film appears in the film, mainly when the characters watch TV. Maybe that is to make viewers more involved in the characters? But I feel the anime characters are more engaging. I do not think the movie gained anything by doing this. Especially the last 1 minute or so of live stuff should have been deleted.The animations/drawings were great. Especially the lighting. The perspective in the lines were considerably unnatural, which was annoying for me. The characters were portrayed really well. The story was incredibly tragic and great.I give it a 9 out of 10 if I pretend the last minute is gone.

thorwl Princess is a visually stunning piece of adult animation. It takes a swing at the porno and sex industry in a pretty rough way, and I think the director Anders Morgenthaler truly wanted to tell his audience something with this flick. The combination of real film and animation works amazingly well and adds some extra debt to the characters. Somehow it feels more realistic when you get to see the voice behind the character, which you do in this film. (That was my spoiler I suppose) Go see Princess for extraordinary entertainment, sex, blood and violence and a statement that hits you in the face. I think we can expect great things from Anders Morgenthaler in the future, this being his first movie to go to the movie theaters.