Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Review: DONKEY PRINCESS [Fantastic Fest - Austin, Texas]
Abstract context of visual effects can sometimes be on interesting portal. "Donkey Princess" from a dark fable operates on an interesting connotation that it never fully explains. However, the more it delves into the psychology of its lead character Princess Diana (Antonia Giesen), the more interesting it becomes. In her initial breath, she is perhaps in a 16th century setting in Chile where her father is the King. The King seemingly loses his wife and bans love in the kingdom. Of course this is initially bookended by a woman burying something in the hills above a city in Chile. When it enters into the 16th century world, directors Joaquin Cocina and Cristobal Leon create a fantastic world that blends stop motion, digital backgrounds, almost paper mache and subtle animation. It is wonderfully realized but inherently DIY with the strings showing per se. Diana falls in love with Lalo, a boy way beneath her station which her father forbids. Lalo just happens to have a bracelet that can transport her (and it seems him) into the future but it seems he himself is from there. Now there is a duality that makes itself known from the very beginning but doesn’t fully show its face to the end. Diana just wants to live a life with Lalo. She is eventually transported forward in time to what seems like the 70s where the country is in strife and everything is fully in paper mache. Lalo knows who she is but not how she came to be there. An omen tells her all will be alright but not in this time.
The music beautifully transitions especially during one sequence with a sci-fi show. Diana seems to be watching nostalgia genre DIY shows but through the bracelet she becomes part of them but not in the way that one thinks. Giesen plays it just right with a sense of knowing but also ignorance without arrogance. At one point she is caring for her dad who also seems transported into the future but with no recollection (but perhaps it is hidden). But also he is always dying in her heart but that is likely an unspoken context with her mom. In one sequenc, she and Lalo are pest controllers who enter into a hospital filled with bats. These bats later come to roost on her window in animated form. This mixed context really gives an interesting sense of identity and persuasion as the film becomes more based in reality as it goes on (though she does jump to a couple different places. Giesen’s reaction on a beach in one time though is very telling and heartbreaking because it precludes her seeing her father again. This is also all done in a mixture of styles. The directors subtly move between these worlds knowing that, despite her best intentions, something was not right from the beginning with Diana's path. The fable "Donkeyskin" is appropo especially in how the final ten minutes or so reveal itself. The metaphor becomes practical and vice versa. It is course disturbing in more than a couple ways (the original fable has a dark side) but it is the only way for Diana to break free. “Donkey Princess” definitely is its own unique style but it understands its trajectory very clearly without giving itself away. It mixes some great mediums in a low-fi setting that feels lived in with a relaxed and poignant turn by lead actress Antonia Giesen. 87%/B/B+
By Tim Wassberg
