The Devils (2002)
This film is a bit of a combination of Badlands and Pretty Baby. The Badlands comparison is more direct. We have a story here of two orphan siblings on the run from foster care. The girl suffers from something resembling autism which complicates their attempts to live on their own. We see the two in and out of institutions and as their interactions with society become increasingly desperate. The film, as the title might indicate, also draws a little on the evil child style of film.
The comparison to Pretty Baby is largely in the use of young actors in a complex and potentially exploitative way, or at least I'm sure that would be the American interpretation. The film is French (like the director of Pretty Baby) and I see no evidence based on a rudimentary search that this caused a controversy. In the interaction between the actors and the camera, this is arguably similar, however, while Pretty Baby involves a child living in a brothel and dealing with adults, The Devils has the two interacting with each other.
The acting here, especially the main two, is terrific. I had seen Adele Haenel before in her second film Water Lilies, but in her acting debut she just seems incredibly natural. Sure, playing a character with autism makes for a very mannered performance, but to paraphrase Garden State "I really thought you were autistic...If there was an autistic Oscar, you would win, hands down." She never breaks her character, though she evolves in a way that seems understandable.
Anyway, I can't say I truly enjoyed The Devils, it is a film that makes you very uneasy. But I do think the characters and the acting was ultimately quite strong and made it worth watching.