Momo

Saw Momo, a kid's film about a little homeless girl who befriends an entire sleepy village. She spends her time playing elaborate games with the other children and fixing people's problems in slightly mystical ways (she makes a bird sing again by sitting quietly by it, for instance.) Disaster strikes when men in grey suits from the Time Bank begin demanding efficiency and faster results. Everyone is rushing madly about and it's up to the semi-mystical Momo to fix it again.

The film is cute and whimsical. There's some great pre-CGI special effects on display and some nice sinister business on behalf of the grey suit guys. The film is most comfortable being cute however, and we spend a lot of time watching Momo and the other characters simper at each other. It's a very nice film however and could be some family's little-known, secret favorite.

The film is sort of confusing in parts however. It was produced by Italian filmmakers but the characters are all speaking German. The original book was in German (and written by the same guy who wrote Neverending Story which this film feels very similar to.) Momo herself lives in a cave next to some Colosseum-like ruins. She comes off like a sort of Oracle of Delphi, fixing people's problems and giving life advice. Later on there's a turtle called Cassiopeia. This feels very Italian, however the men in grey suits feel much more German, with their grim efficiency and shaved heads. To confuse matters further, much of the written words in the film are in English. Also (though this may only be my copy) there's a framing story of a guy on a train being told this story by one of the characters which gets completely forgotten once the film ends. Odd.

This is an interesting film. It's message is simple but good and it's fantastical and creative. Go see it!