Princess

Princess is definitely not your average animated movie, and it's not your average revenge flick either. 

The animation style is somewhat simplistic but it works. The flashbacks that are presented in actual film—not animated segments—are jarring, and prove effective and unsettling.

The film documents the priest August's return to the city after his sister's death.  It's evident from the start that she was involved in some shady dealings.  August left some time after their parent's death and became a priest, while his sister became a porn star and drug addict.  Eventually her choices led to her death.

Or did they?  August finds that not only did she leave a daughter named Mia, but mounting evidence that the people she worked with may have been involved in her death.  People he may have known once, too.

I found much of the film to be excellent; August and Mia's interaction, and the damage inflicted on them felt very real. As a hero, August is a tragic figure; a dangerous man who eventually comes to realize he bears part of the responsibility for everything that's happened.  It's a cut above the recent revenge movies coming out in the US (The Brave One, Death Sentence, etc.).

Some viewers have complained that the film is a scathing critique of the porn industry, but even if the director intended it that way, that wasn't the vibe I got. The movie is more focused on August himself, and the choices he and his sister made that led to the sad and terrible circumstances he and Mia find themselves in.

My only issue with the film is that it seems to come apart at the end. I didn't expect or even hope for a happy finish, but the way the movie ends felt somewhat contrived and didn't fit with the rest of the film.
 
Princess has content which makes it tough to recommend to some people. The film deals with issues of child abuse and molestation, the porn industry, drugs, extreme violence, and revenge. The way it addresses some of these issues can be viewed as over the top, but it’s not silly. Don't let the fact that it's (mostly) an animated film fool you into thinking it's for kids, because nothing could be further from the truth.

Disturbing, violent, and sad. Recommended for viewers who like unusual revenge stories and who can handle a very black film.