Published: April 17, 2007

Good-Bye Momo (A Dios Momo) Film Review

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by Kam Williams

Illiterate Street Urchin Learns to Read Along with Life Lessons in Coming-of-Age Flick from Uruguay

Obdulio (Matthias Acuna) is an Uruguayan street urchin who has to hawk newspapers all day to support himself and his elderly grandmother. Because the impish 11 year-old is overworked and illiterate, it doesn't look like he'll have much of a chance to make it out of the slums or to achieve his dream of becoming a professional soccer player.

All this changes the day he is befriended by Barrilete (Jorge Esmoris), the paper's kindly night watchman who is willing not only to teach the boy to read or write but also several valuable lessons about what really matters most in life. Since this is the season of Carnival, Barrilete relies on song lyrics to be performed at the country's annual festival to spark the imagination of his young student.

The mutually-transforming relationship which evolves between the pair provides the basis for Good-Bye Momo, an ethereal coming-of-age flick from Latin America. Written and directed by Leonardo Ricagni, this deliberately-paced, character-driven drama is marked by a backdrop of sobering ghetto shots which are intermittently offset by breathtaking ocean panoramas and the glitter of garish Montevideo nightlife.

A tenderhearted slice of magical realism.

Excellent (3.5 stars)
Unrated
In Spanish with subtitles.
Running time: 104 minutes
Studio: Fabrication Films