The Girl in the Book (2015)

Why was Alice supposed to be able to stop Milan touching her when he tried to grope her breasts but was unable to stop him when he said that he wanted to make her come? The contradiction was utterly stupid and pathetic and completely ruined the film.Why did Milan, a middle-aged man go up to Alice, a sixteen year old girl and say "I want to make you come.", and start stroking her between her legs whilst ordering her in a cold tone of voice to keep her eyes open?Was it because he wanted to treat her with love and affection and make her feel happy, excited, worthwhile, wanted and uplifted or because he wanted to treat her with contempt and make her feel unhappy, shocked, worthless, debased and degraded?Why would an adult male want to treat a female with contempt and make her feel unhappy, shocked, worthless, debased and degraded?Would it be because he felt worthless, debased and degraded himself at the thought that whereas he found her extremely desirable and attractive she didn't return the compliment, and that, as a result, he felt overwhelmed with humiliation, envy and resentment?

Emily VanCamp is excellent here starring as Alice, a self-destructive young woman working as an editor for a book publisher, in NYC. Her boss (Jordan Lage) discounts her abilities, and really just wants her to be his personal secretary. Her father (Michael Cristofer), a literary agent. is an overbearing and boorish slimeball. However, when Alice's boss wants her to manage the re-release of an acclaimed best seller, some 15 years before, as an e-book, it will rekindle horrific and painful memories for her that occurred at that time. Often told through flashbacks, we see 16-year-old Alice being manipulated and sexually abused by the book's author Milan Daneker. The superb actor Michael Nyqvist is perfectly cast as Milan, and is so believable and despicable you just want to reach through the screen and give him a smack.As a result of all this, Alice has such a poor self-image that she has become promiscuous, with her life filled with one-night stands from bar pick-ups. The crucial question, and the crux of the movie will be whether once she meets a nice guy and solid citizen (David Call), can she finally have a loving and meaningful relationship, or will she revert to her old ways?In supporting roles, I thought Ali Ahn did a fine job as Sadie, Alice's best friend, and Ana Mulvoy-Ten was most solid as young Alice. The movie was written and directed by Marya Cohn, who's making her feature film debut here, and I read the film is semi-autobiographical. I would be interested in seeing what else Cohn brings to the screen.In summary, as mentioned, this is not an easy film to view, but, overall, I came down on the positive side after seeing its rather uplifting final segments.

The central character here is clearly a victim, and yet, by the middle of the pic, she is turned into a latter-day Hester Prynne -- without the overt tribal ritual of the Scarlet Letter.She is pilloried for bedding -- or for appearing to bed -- a teenage babysitter at the house of her best friend. Really? I mean, hey, c'mon, like, who hasn't done that? Okay, I'm kidding, maybe it's been months or even years since you've done that, but the point is, this is the place in this moralistic tripe where she becomes some kind of sexual villain?! Don't bother telling that babysitter kid because he's already on the blower telling his entire school how he and a twenty-something done done the deed.And that sad excuse for a boyfriend, the social activist savior? People with good intentions will stand by and weep while you burn at the stake. And why? Because, they will say, "She brought it on herself." And then the weasel will run for public office over your dead body.Who are we talking to here? YOU. You if, when she finally went to confront her seducer, you weren't hollering at the screen, "Kick him in the nuts, honey!"And then hollering, "TWICE!"(If you're a guy, and you can look at Emily VanCamp's face without seeing that she's the victim, then you have earned all your credits to graduate from Gay University...) :-)

this movie is about the pain of a young woman which was a victim of a pedophile as a teenager.this type of movies makes me sick even if we cannot deny the ugly truth that this happens too often and too little is done.the actors were good,the music,the screenplay,but the story is so painful and any kind of artistic interpretation could not take the monster mask of pedophilia away.trying to live with this kind of pain,trying to learn to live and to love is hard work and is beautiful all the walk she makes to find and understand true and new love.the real thing.this is a movie for those who live such horror and try to live beyond it.for other people is a pain that they would never really understand.