The Message, the latest feature from Venezuelan director Iván Fund, is a skillfully realized meditation on love, hope, and the unexpected families we build for ourselves. Taking a naturalistic approach to a tale that flirts with the supernatural, Fund gently draws the audience deep into a landscape that he is intimately familiar with. Shot entirely in his home province of Entre Ríos, this intimate road movie is reminiscent of many classic American travelogues (Paper Moon comes immediately to mind) even as it presents us with something wholly different and very much rooted in the Argentinian context.
Following the seemingly aimless journey of a young girl called Anika (Anika Bootz) and her mysterious guardians Myriam (Mara Bestelli) and Roger (Marcelo Subiotto), the film leaves much to the audience’s imagination. Anika, we are told, is a pet medium, born with the ability to channel the thoughts of animals. The trio makes a meager living roaming the countryside in their van, selling the girl’s services to anyone willing to fork over a few thousand pesos. Whether or not her abilities are meant to be genuine is left to us to decide, though Anika herself clearly believes in the authenticity of her gifts. Whether Myriam and Roger do is another matter entirely.
The sessions the group holds with the various pet owners they encounter are brilliantly realized, and the non-human casting in the film is truly out of this world. At the first house call we witness, for a sickly cat named Junior, Anika reveals that he has been spying on his mistress and eavesdropping on her alleged indiscretions. One of the greatest (and funniest) shots in the film
comes as the cantankerous Junior (a cat with star power to spare) subsequently spies on Roger and his owner from behind a kitchen counter.
The film is full of such clever tableaux, at times simply humorous, and at other shrewdly satirical, communicating incisive social commentary and speaking volumes about its characters and the world they inhabit, all without uttering a single word. Shooting in gentle tones of black and white, Fund and cinematographer Gustavo Schiaffino take impressive advantage of the tiny world contained within the group’s ramshackle van. Whether lingering on every perfectly chosen detail of its contents, or keeping the vista’s sprawling landscapes framed in its windows, they nestle us firmly in the world of this unusual little family unit.
The trio lives on the fringes, but not unhappily. They clearly share a great deal of affection for each other, and watch out for one another. Myriam and Roger, whatever their relationship to Anika may be, appear to be diligent guardians. We collect few clues as to how the group came together, but when we do, they tend to raise more questions than answers. I would happily watch an entire film just about Roger’s past as a traveling circus performer, but find myself most fascinated by Myriam, and just what her true connection to Anika really is.
We gain some clarity when the group arrives at a sprawling psychiatric facility to pay a visit to Anika’s mother, Eloísa (Bettania Cappato). At the gate, Myriam identifies herself as Eloísa’s mother, but refuses to see her, hiding in the van as Roger watches over the tender reunion. While it would certainly be plausible, Myriam’s habit of bending the truth makes it impossible for the audience to be certain of her real relationship to her young charge’s mother. Closer to the film’s conclusion, however, Anika has been wandering a field alone when she suddenly rushes back to tell Myriam what a (literal) birdie has just whispered in her ear. Eloísa loves her very much. Myriam seems moved, and her reaction, if somewhat perplexed, is a tender one. Roger looks to Anika with love and gratitude in his eyes.
As pleasant as it was to spend time in this meticulously constructed world, I kept waiting for some kind of conflict to arise. It never did. Despite the gorgeous photography, the engaging score, the faultless performances of its leads … I kept wishing for something more. Nevertheless, I look forward to what Fund comes up with next.
The Message premiered in competition at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival.
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