Monkey (2017)

Directed by: Maria Blom | 90 minutes | adventure, drama, family | Actors: Julius Jimenez Hugoson, Eddie Hallgren, Johan Petersson, Matilda Forss Lindström, Nina Åkerlund, Ing-Marie Carlsson, Sofia Bach, Shebly Niavarani, Manfred Knapp

A children’s film mainly based on the theme of reincarnation? There is every chance that this will not turn out well and that is what happened with the Swedish children’s film ‘Monky’.

Frank’s sister, Saga, loves monkeys dearly and acts like one. Her nickname is therefore Monky. In addition, as it turns out, she is terminally ill. After her death, the family has a hard time, until one day a monkey shows up at the door of the family. Frank is convinced that the monkey is Monky. What follows is a story about their adventures with Monky and accepting the loss of Saga.

Adult themes, in other words, which can have a different meaning for children and therefore require a different approach. And that didn’t quite work out. ‘Monky’ is often too short-sighted, even for children. After Saga’s death, the makers show only one scene to indicate that the family is having a hard time. The parents are nagging each other and are listless. But as soon as the monkey is at the door, they are quickly convinced that it is Saga and everything seems peaceful. Of course, the new situation cannot last long and a harsh reality has to be accepted again.

In addition, it remains to be seen whether the monkey really is the deceased sister or not. This will be done consciously, but for children, that uncertainty can distract from the story being told. And so the film is constantly in two minds: serious themes on the one hand, but too minimal elaborations on the other. That is a shame because there could have been a lot more in it if they had estimated their target group a bit better.

There are quite a few “funny” scenes aimed at making the audience laugh. But substantively they are so unmotivated that it mostly feels aimless. After laughing, there is not enough left to be fun, educational or even just funny. It especially feels as if the makers don’t care about children’s understanding and sometimes opt for the easy way.