tieman64 A forgotten masterpiece, "The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane" is a 1976 film by Hungarian director Nicolas Gessner. It stars Jodie Foster as Rynn Jacobs, a thirteen year old girl who lives in a secluded seaside home. Rynn's mother and father have died - to say any more would be to further spoil several key revelations - leaving the poor girl to fend for herself."Lane" drips with atmosphere. Set during Halloween, when ghouls and wizards roam the streets, Gessner creates a macabre world in which drizzle kisses shadows and menace lurks in every corner. Police, paedophiles, peeping-toms and pesky prowlers all knock on Rynn's door, each of whom threaten to stumble upon the girl's little secret: Rynn lives alone, and has been living so for quite some time.Today Jodie Foster typically plays fragile, uncertain, asexual women with the personality or demeanour of a child. Early in her career, though, Foster typically played the opposite: intelligent, resourceful, sexualised kids who were wiser than surrounding adults. Rynn is another such character. She's an adult trapped in a kid's body, forever sceptical of the stupid, lecherous grown-ups around her. More importantly, Rynn is preoccupied with protecting her autonomy. With protecting her right to live alone, on her own terms, in her own world.Whilst "Lane" celebrates Rynn's independence, and the strengths necessary to resist conformity, it also does the opposite. Rynn's unable to survive without the assistance of a kind local boy (Scott Jacoby), whose limping legs ironically counterpoint the vital support he provides the young girl. It is through this character that the film - based on a novel by Jewish author Laird Koenig - smuggles its politics. Here Rynn - an intellectual type who reads Hebrew - becomes emblematic of Jewish isolation and persecution. People knock on Rynn's doors like stormtroopers, search her basements and under her rugs, demand identification and entry, whilst Rynn clings to her identity and resists assimilation. This ethnocentrism, this strength in the face of quasi-anti-Semitic persecution, is both cherished by Koenig and critiqued, seen to be bound to feelings of smug and so unwarranted superiority. Yes Rynn knows it all, is wise and sees through lies, but even the strongest needs an outsider's helping hands. Or as historian Simon Schama once wrote: "Jewish history turns out not to be an either/or story - as in, either pure Judaism detached from its surroundings or else assimilation - but rather, for the vast majority, the adventure of living in between." Ryn learns to live in the in-between."Lane" works well as horror, drama, mystery and romance. Unfolding like a stage-play, it also has very strong melancholic qualities, thanks largely to an affective soundtrack by Christian Gaubert, and director Nicolas Gessner's simple but atmospheric visuals, which stress lonely homes, dank Maine surfaces and water-laden skies. A young Martin Sheen co-stars as Frank Hallet, a character who may or may not be a local child molester.8.9/10 – To assimilate or not to assimilate? Such was a question of inordinate importance to post-war novelists and film-makers. See "They Might be Giants", "Some Came Running", "The Gypsy Moths", "The Sandpiper", "Cool Hand Luke", "The Swimmer", "Goodbye, Columbus", "King Rat" and "A Thousand Clowns".

callanvass (Credit to acidxian)Rynn Jacobs is a thirteen-year-old girl who lives in a secluded house that she and her father have rented in a quiet seaside community. But whenever anybody from the town tries to satisfy their curiosity, Rynn's father is never around, and it seems as if the girl is all alone. Rynn's resourcefulness is put to the test as several people try to find out what she might be hiding, including the snobby landlady and her sleazy son. This was a very intriguing film. It slowly creeps up on you and manages to get under your skin. It's a great psychological thriller with many great surprises. You know something isn't right with Rynn, but Jodie Foster manages to make you care about her plight anyways. Despite that she had obvious problems, I still empathized with her. That's talent! Martin Sheen is excellent as the scumbag. I hated him for who he was. He creeped me out on several occasions with his inappropriate behavior. Scott Jacoby is entertaining as the friend Mario. I wouldn't call this a "true" horror film. It's a great movie nonetheless. It's a true gem.8/10

PetalsAndThorns Stilted, unnatural acting, something of an amateur community theatre calibre.A tedious and unbelievable tale, any hint of mystery and macabre is quickly squashed by boredom and ill-chosen "tell me" rather than "show me" elements in a script that moves along with all the grace and speed of a flat tire.Crap acting, lazy direction, obnoxious score, lacklustre lighting, poorly constructed story, badly written script ( with an unnecessarily disturbing implication of animal torture and murder, to which the characters don't have any emotional reaction whatsoever) round out this pitiful disappointment into one of the worst movies I've ever sat through. How this ever managed to have a 7-star rating on IMDb is beyond me.This horrendous flop of a film would better serve as kindling. Don't waste your time.(The only thing that kept me from shutting it off, 30 minutes in, is a personal goal to see all of Foster's films... no cheats. So far, this is the only one that has been painfully bad.)

BA_Harrison 13-year old Rynn (Jodie Foster) supposedly shares a rented property with her poet father, but when curious locals request to meet the man of the household, they are quickly rebuffed, causing them to suspect that the girl is actually living alone. The idea of a pretty teenage girl on her lonesome proves way too tempting for local pervert Frank Hallet (Martin Sheen), who seizes the opportunity to make a move, but resourceful Rynn isn't quite as defenceless as she might seem.Jodie Foster's confident central performance in The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane is absolutely mesmerising, the young star displaying all the signs of a future Oscar winner; Foster is ably supported by Martin Sheen as cold-hearted child-molester (and hamster killer) Frank, and Alexis Smith as Frank's nosey mother, whose curiosity leads to a sticky end in the cellar. A chilling character study, a tender romance, a macabre drama, a subtle horror: The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane is all these and more.Only an unbelievably silly scene in which Rynn's friend Mario (Scott Jacoby) dons a rubber mask and pretends to be her father in order to fool his suspicious uncle (Mort Shuman) mars what is otherwise a very effective and surprisingly provocative little thriller.