Déborah François and others in “My Queen Karo” [2009 Belgium, Netherlands]

I believe coming-of-age must be a favourite subject for Dutch-Belgian director Dorothée Van Den Berghe – this is the second film of hers that I’ve seen delving into it. “My Queen Karo” is a delicate study of a young girl adjusting to life in an unconventional environment.

Storyline:
the film is set in the early seventies when nine year old Karo and her bohemian parents Dalia and Raven move into a squatter’s commune in Amsterdam. Within no time, Raven gets involved with Alice, a left-wing activist who already has a partner and two children, and he invites her to move into the commune. Obviously Dalia isn’t too happy with the arrangement but there’s little she could do to change Raven’s mind. She reluctantly accepts the ménage à trois by sharing Raven with Alice. Just as her parents come to terms with the new life they’d chosen, Karo finds herself adjusting to new realities. This is the heart of the film, as she sees her parent’s relationship change beyond what she’d have ideally preferred, and must find her own way to be happy. She still loves her parents, and although she is glad to have found new friends in Alice’s children – Daniel and Tara, swimming will become her passion, one she will pursue with rigour to distract herself from a less than ideal lifestyle.

While similar topics may have been discussed in film before, what makes this different is the careful and sensitive screenplay. It doesn’t divert too much of our attention away from young Karo – this film isn’t about her parents and their heartbreaks, but of Karo displaying a maturity beyond her years to adapt to the surroundings. All the principal actors give a fine performance, particularly pleasing is that of the adorable Anna Franziska Jaeger who plays Karo. The cinematography is appealing, as is the soundtrack, and I even loved the title credits. There are also instances of child nudity in the film, but it is deftly handled – there’s nothing here that ‘balanced’ individuals should be unduly concerned about. This is pretty much a mainstream film that needs a wider audience than it does. And that is why, this is Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon DVD Link

Compilation:
Déborah François, Maria Kraakman, Matthias Schoenaerts, Anna Franziska Jaeger, Cezanne Q Cuypers, and Samuel du Chatinier

Déborah François, Maria Kraakman, and Matthias Schoenaerts give decent performances in Dorothée Van Den Berghe’s coming-of-age drama, “My Queen Karo”, but the most impressive is that of young Anna Franziska Jaeger who plays the titular character Karo.

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Scene Guide:

• Young Karo and her hedgehog pal Iglo adjusting to life in a commune. Karo is played by the wonderful Anna Franziska Jaeger.
• When Raven openly takes on Alice as his lover, a distraught Dalia contemplates throwing herself off the building. Karo intervenes. Dalia is played by the delightful Déborah François, Raven by a handsome Matthias Schoenaerts, and Alice by a very nineteen-seventies looking Maria Kraakman.
• Dalia tries to get some attention from Raven by trying on a dress she’d just made. When she asks for some help with her dress, Raven refuses to play along.
• With Raven spending a lot of his time with Alice, Dalia decides the only way she could be with him is by joining them. A threesome ensues. Karo watches the drama with mixed feelings of curiosity and disappointment.
• Alice and Raven go on a holiday along with Karo and Alice’s children Tara and Daniel, played by Cezanne Q Cuypers, and Samuel du Chatinier respectively.
• Upon their return, Raven is annoyed noticing Dalia had installed a new partition, effectively separating herself from the rest.
• Raven and Alice making love not too far away from the children, and Alice’s kids jump into the bed to play with her. Karo doesn’t.
• When the landlord switches off their water supply, Alice, Raven, and the kids help themselves to a much needed shower at Karo’s swimming pool.

Download Links:
Part 1 | Part 2
(Both parts needed. Unpack with Winrar)

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