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 April 2007
GOODBYE MOMO (A DIOS MOMO) |
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By Wilson Morales
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It’s always nice to see a coming-of-age film, although not original, still bring out the values needed to make a film sweet and enjoyable. In “Goodbye Momo”, we see a film that reminds us that all work and no play doesn’t make for a good life in the long run. It’s a film that a family can laugh and bond with a little belief in magic. Obduilo, at the age of 11, is the man of the house. Having to sell newspapers to support his grandmother and two sisters, he cannot read or write, yet is great at playing soccer, hoping some day to play in the World Cup. When encouraged to go to school, he doesn’t see the logic in that until fate intervenes. His friend is leaving town and Obduilo is learning to be on his own again. When he meets up with night watchman, who’s also a poet, at the newspaper’s office, his view of the world is opened up as the watchman teaches him to read and write while watching the Uruguayan Carnival. Through the use of songs, Obduilo begins to see that there’s more to life than papers and dodging the bullies that wait for him to take his daily money. Although the story is cliché and predictable, the performance by Mathias Acuna is touchingly played out with a sense of fantasy thrown into the mix. At the same time, the film is whimsical with the displays of clowns and dancing women, and a glimpse of Uruguay. |
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