‘The Message’ Review: An Uneventful Drama About a Young Pet Medium

variety.com:

Siddhant Adlakha In Iván Fund’s black-and-white drama “The Message,” the commodification of the spiritual and the sterilizing of childhood wonder go hand in hand.

They’re also, rather ironically, accompanied by sanitized drama, despite the movie’s emotionally potent subject matter: a young girl who allegedly communicates with the souls of people’s pets, both alive and dead.

The Argentinian countryside plays host to life on the road for an unusual trio during a period of economic downturn. Radiant, gifted pre-teen Anika (Anika Bootz) serves as a medium for animals on the brink of death, or those who have already reached the other side.

Meanwhile, her opportunistic guardians Myriam (Mara Bestelli) and Roger (Marcello Subiotto) relay her messages to pet owners and negotiate payments for her readings, respectively.