Screened in Competition at this year’s Berlinale and winner of the Silver Bear Jury Prize, Iván Fund’s The Message is an unconventional coming-of-age story that balances the ethereal with the tangible, creating a narrative about family, perception, and connection.

At its core, The Message captures the defining moment when a child gains the awareness that they, too, have the power to teach and heal. The film’s young protagonist, portrayed with remarkable nuance by Anika Bootz, undergoes a personal transformation that ultimately shapes both her own identity and that of her family. Fund presents childhood not as an idyllic time but as a profound process of realisation – one where a child’s voice emerges amid the silence of adults burdened by their pasts and limitations.

Anika, a young girl with a rare ability, can communicate with animals’ souls. Her foster mother, Myriam (Mara Bestelli), describes how Anika channels the voices of creatures like turtles, dogs, and hedgehogs, expressing their emotions and needs in a way humans can understand. Through visual contact, either in person or via photos, the girl taps into their perspectives and hidden pain. Traveling across Argentina with her foster parents, Myriam and Roger (Marcelo Subiotto), Anika visits homes, pet cemeteries, and media events, offering her gift to those seeking closure and connection with their animal companions. But are her abilities real?

Unlike traditional coming-of-age films, The Message resists neat genre formulas. Fund eschews direct cinematic references, instead drawing inspiration from the intangible influences of filmmakers like John Cassavetes, Tsai Ming-liang, and Wim Wenders. The film’s aesthetic is firmly grounded in spontaneity, an approach that reflects the unpredictability of childhood itself. The work of French photographer Bernard Plossu was particularly influential in shaping the film’s visual language, with its emphasis on capturing insignificant moments that later reveal their true depth.

The film’s delicate balance between realism and fantasy aligns it with the rich tradition of South American magical realism. Fund directs a world where reality is textured with wonder – without ever forcing fiction to mimic real life. The film’s rural landscapes are not simply a backdrop but a vital presence, shaped by dusty roads and modest agricultural towns. Yet, there is an intentional cinematic quality to these settings, a reflection of the director’s childhood experience of watching classic American films. This setting also subtly mirrors Argentina’s present-day economic and social struggles, where urban crises ripple into small-town life. While Fund avoids overtly dwelling on Argentina’s political realities, his film acknowledges a dystopian undercurrent, suggesting that in times of uncertainty, fiction may serve as a guide toward truth.

Anika Bootz’s portrayal of Anika feels remarkably lived-in, aided by the fact that her on-screen mother is played by her real mother, Betania Cappato. This natural bond enriches the film’s emotional authenticity. Working with a minimal crew of seven, Fund cultivates an intimate atmosphere, allowing for natural performances that evolve beyond rigidly structured scenes.

Animals play an integral role in The Message, not only as symbolic figures but as living, expressive entities. A capybara and a horse – both significant in South American folklore – become part of the film’s exploration of interspecies connection. Music plays an equally vital role in the film’s fabric. Rather than selecting pre-existing tracks in post-production, Fund collaborated with jazz musician Mauro Mourelos, who composed the score in real-time throughout the shoot. The spontaneous nature of the music complements the film’s fluid storytelling.

Ultimately, The Message is a meditation on communication – both its failures and its breakthroughs. It embraces the contradictions of human connection, illustrating how silence can wound but also how a child’s simple, unfiltered wisdom can connects those gaps. In a world that often feels fragmented and isolating, Fund’s film reminds us that cinema offers a space where loneliness dissipates. Shared experience becomes a form of solace.

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Written by Maggie Gogler

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