“The dead always induce vitality”
It is a road movie, and the black & white photography emphasizes the vast horizons of the Argentine pampas, full of the constant hum of crickets and wildlife every night. Within the motor home however, there is a stillness, as the makeshift family roam the countryside barely communicating. A couple, Roger (Marcelo Subiotto) and his ever, well-presented wife, Myriam (Mara Bestelli) opportunistically offer the lucrative services of their young nine-year-old charge’s gift for communicating with animals, for money.
Born in San Cristóbal, Argentina, writer/ director Iván Fund grew up in the province of Entre Ríos. Following a series of award-winning short films, he is best known for The Lips (2010) that won the Cannes Film Festival ‘Un Certain Regard’ award for Best Actress.
Though young and innocent, Anika (Anika Bootz) seems to have an old soul beyond her years. She takes on the role as a pet medium with no fanfare or pretence, and while it could be said she is being exploited (or even that the clients are being scammed), she takes on the role with a calm assurance, that, in the end, gives the pet owners a greater peace of mind.
Squashed in their camper van motorhome, they are accosted by desperate pet owners, like one man, distressed that his tortoise is not doing well, is ‘treated’ through the camper window. They drive, endlessly, along dusty earth roads from small town to small town seeking clients, and even hitting the jackpot when a local TV interview helps them to promote the Anika’s gift. Their little poster reads: -
Communicator with Animals- Natural telepathy- Real and effective therapy – home visits- or online with a photograph.
Their venture takes place at the height of the Argentine economic crisis. Things are not easy and they survive from day-to-day, sharing out sandwiches and potato crisps, and trying to sleep by the road side, as cars whizz past periodically, shaking the van.
Yet, despite the limited communication, there is a warmth in the quiet between them. Anika is taken to visit her mother who lives in a mental institution, ( Colony Hospital for Mental Health) they embrace and hug desperately. Anika spends her time reading fairy stories, hoping the tooth fairy will finally arrive to pick up her fallen baby teeth and breathing into her special steamer, presumably for an asthmatic condition.
Marcelo Subiotto as Roger
Other than the clients, there is no one around. Endless desolate spaces, matched by the minimal conversation inside the camper. At night, they stop to sleep in deserted service stations next to parked juggernaut lorries. But they refuse to forgo basic pleasures, and, at the sight of a stream, out come the picnic tables and chairs, and you could imagine they were on a holiday.
In this stillness there is warmth and we feel for the little trio. Myriam who tries so hard to look smart and well-dressed at every chance, trying to keep Anika suitably clean, using the improvised bathroom at the rear of their camper van, and the silent Roger, who takes care of all the invoices and payments.
Mara Bestelli as Myriam
This is a film without an inciting incident. It rambles gently across the Argentine pampas taking us along for the ride. Yet it is strangely moving. Anika Bootz is outstanding in her simplicity and innocence, superbly supported by Mara Bestelli and Marcelo Subiotto.
The Mental Institution
You could say it could have been influenced by some of the slow pace and lethargy of some of Lucrecia Martel’s films such as La Ciénaga or Zama, but despite the melancholy that hangs in the air (beautifully emphasized by the lone wistful trumpet sounds, original music by Mauro Mourelos), this improvised family unit does not feel dysfunctional. One young client, a girl, distressed that her dog is dying, is comforted: -
“When dogs are at the threshold between life & death, they become more perceptive, when Picha is ready to leave, he will let you know”
Anika communes with a capybara and a horse that starts to follow her, then she reads the mind of a hedgehog too: -
“The thorns are all mine. Where are my brothers?... many barks and they are all for me, none to share. I feel lonely…!
Is the child really gifted? We cannot know, despite Myriam insisting that “all the women in our family have the gift.” Does it even matter? Anika surprises Myriam and Roger with her innocence and spontaneity: “A bird came and told me that Mum wanted to let you know that she loves you very much.”
And so, in this road movie, life continues in this isolation, these silences, with the odd car swishing past, dust and night, with the insects and crickets flying about in the darkness, searching endless for the light.
EL MENSAJE (The Message) 2025.
Director: Iván Fund/ Writers: Iván Fund & Martín Felipe Castagnet / Executive Producer: Laura Mara Tablón / DOP: Gustavo Schiaffino / Art Director: Adrián Suárez / Editor: Iván Fund / Sound Designer: Leonardo de Loredo & Omar Mustafá / Original score: Mauro Mourelos/ Production companies Rita Films and Insomnia Films.
Cast: Anika Bootz, Marcelo Subiotto, and Mara Bestelli
