August, a priest, returns after five years to discover that his sister, a well known porn star, is dead from a drugs overdose. He rescues Mia, her five year old daughter, from the brothel in which she lives. Disgusted at both the child’s treatment and the degradation of his sister, August starts a one man crusade to eradicate his sister's past and to make Charlie, the man he holds responsible, pay for his sister’s death...

Princess (2006 1 hr 17 min 59 sec) is an animated Danish movie written and directed by Anders Morgenthale. The film won two awards and was nominated for a further five, which surprised me as the film's subjects are so controversial, that normally award givers would shy away from such a piece.

Princess does not make for easy watching as the film examines the cost of sexual exploitation, including the inferred exploitation of a five year old. August’s disgust and horror at what has happened to both his sister and Mia set off a train of events which turns him from devote missionary to avenging angel. The film is about eighty percent animated with the remainder, the flashbacks, being live film.

Anders obviously has nothing but disgust for the porn industry; he presents no characters from that world that are, in anyway, redeemable. Even when the police are called in, once August goes on his rampage, they too have little sympathy for the havoc he is causing them, including the loss of life.

Although the film is a powerful piece, and shows that animation does not have to be consigned to kiddie films, it is not without its own problems. August is supposed to be a man of God, attempting to protect Mia, so it is questionable why he brings her along on many of his violent acts. In one sequence Mia is encouraged to first castrate and then kill her abuser with a crowbar, whilst August calmly watches.

This relationship sat very uneasily with me. Mia having already been the object of some of humanities worse depravities is then introduced to violence and murder by the very man who vowed to protect her. It felt like the graphic violence, that August was exposing the child to, was just another form of abuse - which rather weakens his case against the porn industry. However, this is not just a film about revenge but an examination of how many lives are destroyed by the porn industry, and in Princess that pretty much includes everyone. That said, revenge itself usually also destroys those seeking it.

The film has options of either a stereo or 5.1 soundtrack, both with English subtitles. Sadly the only extra is the original trailer. It would have been nice to have had a commentary or documentary from Anders Morgenthale explaining what he was hoping to achieve and if he thought he had succeeded. The film is well animated and able to capture the subtleties of emotion required of the film.

This was never going to be an easy subject to watch and, whilst Anders makes a powerful case, it does feel like a flawed one.

8

Charles Packer