Quella strana ragazza che abita in fondo al viale

New to a seaside village, a young girl and her poet father seem to live an isolated existence, until curious neighbors get nosy and always seem to find the fiercely independent girl on her own... Unwisely advertised as a horror movie, "Little Girl" is instead an amazing psychological thriller, rich with atmosphere and featuring a lead performance by Jodie Foster that is deft and incredibly assured. The sequence where Foster, troubled by the sickness of a friend, eats alone at a hamburger counter (actually, she hasn't touched her food), then wanders down the street studded with marquee lights has to be one of the most beautiful Foster moments put on film. Well-directed and written, the movie is very cognizant of the way adults condescend to or ignore children, and allows leading character Rynn to use her intelligence as a tool--and maybe a weapon as well. Those looking for slasher-type jolts may be disappointed with the picture; it's more subtle than something like "Halloween", creating suspense out of tension and mood instead of outré violence. Foster was at a personal peak at this time in the movies, having just completed "Taxi Driver" and "Bugsy Malone". This isn't the harrowing character study of "Taxi Driver", but it is a remarkable portrait of a terribly uncommon child dealing with very grown-up issues. Due out on DVD in October 2005.

Went into this film expecting a horror flick, for that is one of its genres according to IMDb. "Horror" does not fit this movie. "Creepy", perhaps?

Anyway, wrong expectations can lead to disappointments. Luckily, this film was not. Solid picture with strong performances from Jodie Foster and Martin Sheen.

"The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane" focuses on Rynn Jacobs (played by the brilliant Jodie Foster), a thirteen year old girl who lives in an old house a little outside of a small seaside town. The neighbors and townspeople are nosy, and always end up checking in on Rynn to find her all by herself, a very independent little girl. But where is her father? That is the question that everyone who visits the home has. Rynn has temporary excuses to her father's whereabouts, but soon Rynn has to resort to extremes - even murder - to hide a secret from the nosy people and the landlord who are invading her home and wanting to know too much information.

More of a drama thriller than a horror movie (as the film may seem), "The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane" is an interesting psychological thriller that is held very well with Jodie Foster's excellent performance (as always). She shows off her acting abilities in everything I've seen her in, and even in this, which is her earlier work, she still shows a high amount of potential. It's no wonder she's become such a celebrated Hollywood actress, she's good at what she does. Martin Sheen, also playing a nosy neighbor in this film, is also very good in his role. I liked the idea of this film - an isolated and lonely little girl who seems to be possibly living alone, but hiding a secret as to why her father has mysteriously disappeared. But where is her father, and why isn't he there? The premise is intriguing so I thoroughly enjoyed the film. And the idea of such a young child resorting to murder is plain disturbing, even though it has been done a number of times, it's done very well here.

But the real strong point of this film is what happens in the audience's point of view. We, just like the landlord and her son, and all of the other nosy people that are invading her home, don't know the secret behind why Rynn's father is gone either. The audience is put in the position of these characters, and it's a really fun experience to try and figure it out for ourselves.

Overall, "The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane" is a sometimes eerie and interesting thriller. It keeps the audience guessing along with it but holds onto our interest the entire time and doesn't fail with the storyline. Very well executed and very well acted, with a strong atmosphere to go along with it. Don't expect a gory slasher film though, because this is nothing even close to that. 7/10.

Rynn Jacobs is a lonely, but well equipped 13-year old girl who lives with her poet father, while keeping a dark secret in the cellar. Although whenever somebody dropped by she would tell him or her that her father was too busy to greet his or her guests, or that he was out of town. But her life in solitaire is interrupted when she gets a visit from her snoopy landlady and her perverted son who takes a real shinning to Rynn. This is when Rynn goes to any lengths to keep this lifestyle with the help from a local crippled boy Mario, to herself.

This noteworthy gem of small-scale, mystery-thriller incorporates a fascinating slow-drifting character study that has certain believability in its characterizations and manipulative suspense. The macabrely, lurid context of the film could have over-step the mark, but it keeps it mostly under-wrapped with it being more hinted, than aiming for anything really illustrative. But that in mind, it doesn't lose any of that unnerving effect that's spun out, because the confronting performances and crafty dialogues are extremely effective in underlining the disquieting horror that lurks within the film's make-up. What sweeps you along is that the script is lyrically dense and quite thoughtful, while it still generates psychological tension in certain scenes without needing to go out with a bang. There's nothing big or powerful about it, because it plays it cards close to its chest and grafts away with it's involving story and sedated handling. The compelling plot is incredibly well defined by touching on many different aspects that Foster's character encounters. These range from loneliness to her approach on life through an adult perspective and finally that of her estrange relationships with some of the town's folk. It's all about her finding her feet and living her life the way she wants to without the intrusion of others (the adults) enforcing their resolutions onto her because she's "just" a child. Life is what you make it and she's not going to play their game. It's just really hard to categorise this unique film (which, was originally intended to be a TV movie), because it goes down oh so many paths, but it's successful in gelling them together.

Jodie Foster in the lead role makes the character her own by providing a maturely astute performance as the independent girl Rynn Jacobs. Her professionalism really does take hold in this picture and she does so with great control. Martin Sheen is equally as good and believable by playing his villainous character in a very subtle way, but still able to bring a creepy and vile presence to this predator Frank. Scott Jacoby is likable as Mario; Alexis Smith is great as the intrusively stern landlady Mrs. Hallet and Mort Shuman as the caring local officer gives a moving performance. What makes these performances so great is that they have vivid characters to feed off and shape.

Since it was intended to be a TV movie it does feel and look like one, but none of that took away from the elegant looking production. You could tell it was low-key because most of the film did take place in or around Rynn's isolated house. The direction by Nicolas Gessner is carefully crafted and from the outset he paints a mysteriously brooding atmosphere. The simple layout of photography is crisp and beautifully demonstrated. While, the stirring score is quite a strange one with it's heavy handed approach, but it has some sort of a hypnotic trance because it likes to play around with the moody and quite edgy situations.

This under-appreciated find of the 70's is a surprisingly focused and innovative treat that grips you from the very opening.

Even though I have heard and read about this movie for over 20 years, I never actually saw it until the newly released widescreen DVD. THE LITTLE GIRL WHO LIVES DOWN THE LANE is one of the best written and well acted films I have ever seen!! Although you will most likely find this title in the "horror" section at your video store, it is a solid mystery / suspense story. I have to say I was so impressed with the intelligent screenplay that I never lost interest even for a minute. The fact that the film is rated PG should not let that sway you either. There are some dark, chilling moments and innuendo that would probably gain the film an R rating today. By the way this DVD is the European cut which has a few moments absent from most U.S. prints! Also the soundtrack contains some funky heavy bass driven music that totally reminded me of Goblin! One of my greatest pleasures in life is to discover or re-discover old movies through the magic of DVD. Thank you MGM for making this title available!