Director: Alex Zamm
Rating: 4/5
I watched this yesterday on Netflix, and what attracted me to the film was its focus on a journalist. Unlike for many other Christmas films that focus on family, giving etc, this one tackled undercover journalism practice, something known to me for I have done it once long time ago when I worked as a journalist.
This film tackled ethical choices a journalist has to make when going undercover and it has done so really well. So, in this film Amber (Rose McIver http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0570860/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t1) ended up in a Royal Palace in (fake) Kingdom of Aldovia as fake English tutor teaching princess Emily (Honor Kneafsey). She originally came to the press conference to cover possible abdication of the prince just before he is supposed to be crowned and become the king.
As it turns out, the guard thought she was a new American tutor so she got access to the palace. She befriends the little princess and her brother, the heir apparent, and nevertheless becomes emotionally attached to both of them. But, while in the process of getting to know the Royal family she also informs her colleagues on the information she is gathering. Thus, we have a classical representation of a journalist who is not sincere to people in their surrounding and uses them and their emotions to get a story.
But, this is not to say that the film portrays journalists in a bad way. It shows ethical struggles a journalist is facing while deciding what to do, especially in a situation when someone’s life can be ruined due to the discovery of a journalist. In that, the film portrays ethical questions and doubts and since this is a Christmas film there is of course a big love story preceded by some nastiness in the Royal Family…
What is interesting in the film is that the Royal family speaks with British aristocratic accent and thus we wonder if the film is aiming to portray the British Royal family. If it does, it has done so very favourably and I liked that. As a former journalist who has once went undercover and has made a similar decision as Amber based on similar ethical questions albeit different reasons, I really appreciated this representation of journalists as well. It is true that journalists cross over dead bodies to get the story, but not always.
With the exception of all-time hilarious Home Alone, this is by far one of the best Christmas films I ever saw (if not THE best).
Thank you for reading.