Mia and the White Lion – Mia et le lion blanc (2018)

Directed by: Gilles de Maistre | 98 minutes | adventure, drama | Actors: Langley Kirkwood, Daniah de Villiers, Melanie Laurent, Ryan Mac Lennan

French filmmaker Gilles de Maistre is fascinated by nature in all its manifestations. For example, in ‘Le premier cri’ (2007), one of his best-known documentaries, he shows births and the way in which they are experienced within different cultures and religions in the world. For French television, he visited children all over the world who grow up in close proximity to animals. Boys and girls who had, as it were, made friends with an animal. During one of those visits, to a boy in South Africa who grows up with a lion, he got inspiration for the feature film ‘Mia and the White Lion’ (2018). About three hundred South African children signed up for the casting, but it was Daniah de Villiers who got the lead role, partly because she already had the necessary experience in dealing with wild animals. For nearly three years, De Maistre followed De Villiers and the white lion Thor, so that the film’s two protagonists actually grew up together and formed an unconventional friendship.

Ten-year-old Mia (Daniah de Villiers) recently moved from London to South Africa with her father John (Langley Kirkwood), mother Alice (Mélanie Laurent) and brother Mick (Ryan Mac Lennan) because her father had a baby there. lion farm has started. Stubborn Mia has trouble grounding and becomes rebellious. At school she fights with classmates and teachers and at home she refuses to participate in the family. To get the kids a little more involved in the lion farm, John and Alice give them a special pet for Christmas: a rare white lion cub they call Charlie, who is supposed to attract tourists to the farm. Although Mia initially doesn’t like the cute animal, it doesn’t take long before the two become best friends. They become so close that they can’t live without each other for long. So when Mia goes to soccer camp for a few days, both she and Charlie become depressed. But of course little lions grow up — and dangerous! – and the friendship is at stake. When Mia discovers that her father has very different plans for the lions than selling them to zoos, wildlife parks and research centers, she decides to escape with Charlie, heading to the nearest safe lion sanctuary.

With his film, Gilles de Maistre wants to encourage animal activists and make their message and struggle tangible for the average moviegoer, mainly targeting families. A noble aim, although it is a bit harsh that animals in captivity are used in a film in which the opposite is advocated. And the final revelation can make the viewer, especially if they are young children and other sensitive types, quite raw. Anyway, De Maistre’s intentions are good and it definitely speaks to his advantage that he has put so much time, attention and care into this project, to make the friendship between Mia and Charlie come across as truthful as possible. Daniah de Villiers convinces as the rebellious Mia, a rebellious and impulsive heroine who, despite her young age, shows she has a lot of guts and courage (which ten-year-old girl goes hitchhiking or dives into a lion’s cage without fear?). Her friendship with the lion looks genuine and is heartwarming. De Maistre wraps his film in shades of yellow that reflect the colors of the African savanna and cinematographer Brendan Barnes beautifully brings South African flora and fauna to life.

So it all looks beautiful and De Maistre and his cast and crew put their best foot forward, but the turnaround that ‘Mia and the White Lion’ makes during the second half leaves a strong mark on the whole. The contrast with the innocence that predominates at first is very big, because at the end there is suddenly nothing left of that naivety. The revelation also puts pressure on family ties, although the events at the end are easily woven away. De Maistre might have been better off choosing a different form to reinforce his animal rights message, because in a family film it feels a bit forced and out of place.