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The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane
1976 91 min Canada, France PG 16+
★7.3
Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Director: Nicolas Gessner
🎭 Based on
«The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane»
byLaird Koenig
Trailers
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EN
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Description
13-year-old Rynn Jacobs lives in a New England beach town. Whenever the landlady inquires after Rynn's father, she claims that he's not available. But when the landlady's son, Frank, won't leave Rynn alone, she teams up with a neighbor Mario to maintain the dark family secret that she's been keeping to herself.
Starring
Jodie Foster
Actor
Martin Sheen
Actor
Alexis Smith
Actor
Awards
Saturn Awards 1978
— Best Horror Film
Saturn Awards 1978
— Best Actress
Saturn Awards 1978
— Best Screenplay
Saturn Awards 1978
— Best Director
Key opinion
The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane is widely lauded for Jodie Foster’s exceptional, mature performance, which anchors the film's eerie, atmospheric tension. While the film is praised as a unique and unconventional psychological thriller, opinions are divided on whether its deliberate pacing and open-ended conclusion enhance its mysterious tone or leave the narrative feeling somewhat underdeveloped.
| Acting | Jodie Foster delivers a masterful, intellectually sharp performance that anchors the film and defines its emotional weight. | |
| Acting | Martin Sheen provides a chilling and convincingly obsessive portrayal of the film's primary antagonist. | |
| Production | The film effectively sustains a pervasive, mystical atmosphere through its melancholic coastal setting and classical score. | |
| Originality | The film's unconventional, slow-burn approach to suspense avoids traditional thriller clichés, offering a refreshing departure for the genre. | |
| Pacing | The deliberate, quiet pacing rewards viewers who appreciate the mood-driven narrative, though some find it lacks the momentum of a traditional thriller. | |
| Ending | The abrupt and open-ended conclusion is viewed by some as a hauntingly appropriate resolution, while others find it lacking in tidy narrative closure. | |
| Theme | The inclusion of pedophilic undertones is a point of contention, with some viewers finding it an unnecessary or jarring element in an otherwise brilliant story. |