Grimm (2003)

This modernized Dutch riff on Hansel and Gretel has Jacob and Marie, ages 15+, abandoned in the forest by their poor and selfish parents. So they are cut loose in the world, with no food or money or resources, to fend for themselves. They find a note from their mother suggesting that they go live with their uncle in Spain, but it turns out he has died. So their journey, from sleeping on the ground in the forest to walking and riding a bus or a train, begins with turning sexual tricks to earn cash. At one point, Marie (with Jacob) is taken in by a well-to-do man (living with his ill sister) that Marie intends to marry, but complications ensue. (Brother and sister are devoted to each other through everything, and there is nothing incestuous as some assert. It would be PG-13 though.) It’s a puzzling narrative on the whole, and one that ought to be followed as it unfolds, like any travelogue. 3.5 stars. (4-26-2016)