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"Michael Nyqvist, who viewers may know best as the
heroic Mikael from the original 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' films, is no
hero in writer/director Marya Cohn’s new movie. Instead of helping a young
woman, here Nyqvist’s Milan takes advantage of one, and the results are
often hard to watch. Nyqvist has a difficult role, and the fact that he
never makes Milan more than wholly unsympathetic is to his credit."
...Carrie Kahn, Spinning Platters
"The director, Ms. Cohn, making her feature debut, wrote the script and handily
keeps the story’s many elements in motion. A third-act sequence in which the
Internet unlocks Alice’s creativity as she pleads for Emmett’s forbearance is a
little tidy in its overnight resolution. But Ms. Cohn stops well short of
overweening sentiment. Given her confident hand behind the camera and gift for
rich female characters, you hope to see more portraits from her in the future."
...Andy Webster, NY Times
"It certainly helps that Cohn handles all the performers very
deftly, from small roles to Nyqvist’s key one, which the actor pulls off
in such a way that we’re never fully sure whether Milan is a methodical predator
or simply too self-absorbed to recognize the damage he inflicts... The assured
but unshowy package is particularly complemented by Jessica Brunetto’s editing
and Will Bates’ score, among other factors that lend the film’s overall impact
the alert observational intelligence of a first-rate short story."
...Dennis Harvey, Variety
"The feature debut of writer- director Marya Cohn, 'The Girl
in the Book' is a quietly devastating portrait of innocence lost too soon and
adulthood delayed too long. The story is efficiently told with unexpected twists
and deft dialogue." ...Stephanie Merry, The Washington Post
"The cast member who stood out most here is the culprit Milan
Daneker by Michael Nyqvist. He did not even have to say anything - his
eyes conveyed the emotions that he was feeling, from being sympathetic and
helpful towards Alice to being lascivious and jealous of Alice's youth."
...Ezine Articles
"Cohn displays deep sympathy with her protagonist’s
intersecting emotional crises, scripting a narrative that’s intensely perceptive
without becoming mired in mawkishness. Van Camp appears equally attuned to
Alice’s travails, playing the distressed writer with a mixture of vulnerability,
determination and compassion. Always reliable, Nyqvist struggles a bit
with the role of Milan, who lacks sufficiently distinctive characterization to
represent a viable threat to Alice’s well-being. As the young Alice, Mulvoy-Ten
is appropriately conflicted and confused for a teenager on the cusp of adulthood
facing an unsettling personal predicament. Cohn competently handles her
directorial duties, sticking closely to the indie drama playbook and avoiding
appreciable stylistic flourishes." ...Justin Lowe, The Hollywood Reporter
“The Girl in the Book” stars Emily VanCamp in a many-layered
and engaging performance as Alice, a woman who was seduced as a young teenager
by a writer named Milan, played with stunning subtlety by Michael Nyqvist...
Cohn does an excellent job of presenting the complicated tale with flashbacks
skillfully woven into current action.... this movie is saved from mediocrity by
the excellent script, the brilliant and deft hand of its director, the
ceaselessly exciting musical score of Will Bates, and the actors ' inspired
work. It’s well worth watching." ...Debra Davey, La Splash
"Cohn’s sensitive and accomplished writing and directing
belies her debut status: this seems like the product of a far more experienced
storyteller. The two storylines are a lot to weave together and she does so
seamlessly; her directing is fluid and creative, enhancing the themes through
the film’s style." ...Katie Walsh, IndieWire
"You can tell writer-director Marya Cohn knows her way
around, so to speak. Her screenplay is natural with its dialogue and intricate
in developing its characters. You can tell she knows how to capture the reality
she is trying to depict, and she does so in a way that is every bit as dark as
it is intriguing... The cast here is hit and miss. Michael Nyqvist is a
definite hit. In fact, his performance–understated, strange, and subtle–is one
of the most excellent deliveries by anybody all year. Emily VanCamp and David
Call, while not quite so outstanding, also deliver solidly and make a likable
screen pair." ...Cinemaniac Reviews
"Marya Cohn’s debut feature is a surprisingly charming story
of stifling male patriarchy in the book publishing industry... Cohn adeptly
balances elements of contemporary romantic comedy and scathing cultural
criticism in a film that is obviously deeply personal and simultaneously
universal." ...Sarah Winshall, Under the Radar magazine
"Written and directed by Marya Cohn, 'The Girl in the Book'
is a gentle work that is filled with a personal passion that strikes with a
measured intensity. The film is dark but not unhopeful... Quiet, short, and
refreshingly under-dramatized, it is a competently made film that rightfully
avoids the heavy plumes and manipulative garnishes of most modern romantic
dramas, allowing the story to be less about a boy meeting a girl and more about
a girl truly meeting herself and how that evolution changes everything around
her. This is a wonderful little film." ...David Duprey,
thatmomentin.com
"VanCamp gives a layered, memorable performance while
writer/director Marya Cohn, making her feature debut, has crafted a non-linear
story that artfully tip-toes between cliche and truth." ...Cary
Darling, Star-Telegram
"Alice, in her own way, is a very tragic character and it’s
her plight in overcoming these personal injustices that make her and the film
fascinating to watch. The film often looks beautiful as well, with the
cinematography by Trevor Forrest making distinct changes between the past and
present day." ...Allyson Johnson, theyoungfolks.com
"'The Girl in the Book' is a highly recommended film to watch.
It’s an excellent drama about how one person can change the present by recalling
her past. It’s about pain that cannot be killed or cured by any medicine, but
only with a great attempt of Alice Harvey, who is the only one that knows how to
take the control over it." ...Ulkar Alakbarova, moviemovesme.com
"Cohn's strongest skill is in scripting the beats for
flashbacks to her half her lifetime ago, a series of traumatic reveals that
speaks to why she's such a hot mess today. These psychological causes and
effects are occasionally a bit too tidy, but Cohn is clearly on the right track
toward making the kind of nuanced grown-up dramas that sadly are no longer in
vogue." ...Aaron Hillis, LA Weekly
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