The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane

Did You Know?

• Jodie Foster's 21-year-old sister Connie served as her uncredited body double in a brief nude scene.
• Martin Sheen's daughter Renée Estevez built a friendship with Jodie Foster during shooting.

Plot

On Halloween night, Rynn Jacobs celebrates her thirteenth birthday alone in a seaside town where she and her poet father recently moved from England. Frank Hallet, adult son of landlady Cora Hallet, visits unexpectedly and makes sexual advances toward Rynn. The next day, Cora Hallet aggressively questions Rynn about her father, who Rynn claims is in New York with his publisher. When Mrs. Hallet insists on retrieving jelly glasses from the cellar, Rynn resists. Mrs. Hallet later returns, opens the cellar trapdoor, and upon seeing something upsetting, attempts to flee but knocks down the support; the cellar door falls on her head, killing her. Rynn tries to drive Mrs. Hallet's car away but cannot start it, attracting teenager Mario, nephew of Officer Miglioriti. Mario drives the car to town, and Rynn rewards him with dinner. Officer Miglioriti later visits, reporting Frank Hallet has reported his mother missing; Mario covers for Rynn by saying her father is in bed. That night, Frank Hallet surprises Rynn, cruelly kills her pet hamster, and Mario chases him away. Rynn then confesses to Mario: her terminally ill father, to protect her from her abusive mother after his death, moved them to America, arranged for her to live alone, then committed suicide by swimming out to sea. He left her potassium cyanide, which she used to poison her mother.

Themes

The film has been interpreted as a statement on children's independence and rights. Felicia Feaster found an unusual theme of independence for children, while James R. Kincaid read it as a call for children's rights. T.S. Kord argued the film suggests a child with money and a home does not need a parent if they believe it unnecessary. Adults who intrude in Rynn's affairs—her mother, landlord, and a molester—are portrayed as threats. Anthony Synnott placed the film in a trend of sexualizing children, calling Rynn a murdering nymphet and comparing her to Foster's character in Taxi Driver. Anthony Cortese similarly described Rynn as a 13-year-old imp of maturing sexuality. Andrew Scahill saw it as fitting a cinematic narrative of rebellious children. The genre has been debated: Feaster called it more psychological thriller than horror; Jim Cullen described it as a hybrid of horror, thriller, and feminist film; Martin Sheen said it was horror but not overt; director Nicolas Gessner denied it was horror, calling it a teenage love story.

Production

Novelist Laird Koenig adapted his book for the screen, originally intending it as a play but abandoning the idea due to concerns about a young actress's availability. Director Nicolas Gessner read the book and secured rights after Sam Spiegel's project stalled. The film followed Canadian tax incentives from 1974, stimulating Hollywood North, and was a co-production of Canada and France with producers Zev Braun, L.C.L. Industries in Montreal, and Filmedis-Filmel in Paris. Canadian producer Denis Héroux also worked on the project. Financiers disliked the novel's scene where Rynn murders Mrs. Hallet with poisonous gas, so the death was rewritten as accidental. Gessner discovered Jodie Foster while Martin Scorsese was editing Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. Foster, guided by her mother Brandy, took the role and turned 13 during shooting. Martin Sheen was contacted by Gessner to play Frank Hallet, accepting because he found the part intriguing and believed Foster had a promising career; Gessner noted Sheen initially wanted to play Mario but was deemed too old. Casting Alexis Smith, born in Canada, helped secure tax incentives. Filming took place in Montreal, Knowlton, Quebec, and Ogunquit, Maine. Sheen described the set as relaxed and encouraging creativity, and Foster built a friendship with his daughter Renée Estevez during shooting.

Reception

The film holds a 93% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 15 reviews. Foster's biographer Louis Chunovic referred to the film as much maligned. Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote that Foster gave her most natural portrayal of a child and that Sheen was frightening, finding the romance the greatest strength. Gary Arnold of The Washington Post called the film engaging but claimed the murder plot is too glib and immorally contrived to be satisfying. Kathleen Carroll of the New York Daily News gave a two-star rating, stating that Foster plays Rynn with her usual aplomb but that the film appears to condone teenage sex, advising parental discretion. Charles Champlin of the Los Angeles Times called it the exact movie equivalent of a slim, swift novel read for pleasurable unimportance. Variety found the story unbelievable but praised the romance. Christopher Porterfield of Time felt the film failed to address the most interesting mysteries. Judith Crist of the New York Post judged it a better-than-average thriller. Clyde Gilmour of The Toronto Star said Foster alone emerges with her renown intact, handling her complex role with cool adult professionalism, but the character is thinly developed. Martin Malina of the Montreal Star wrote that the odd adolescent love story-cum-murder mystery depends heavily on Foster's playing, and she does not disappoint.