Magique! 微笑馬戲團

Each night, Tommy watches the sky, waiting for his father's return—Betty hasn't the heart to tell him the truth as she has problems of her own: Indeed, she struggles to earn enough money, while her online attempts to find a male companion have so far been in vain. She's a sad, silent woman, always in a state of melancholy. They are faced with being evicted because she can't pay the rent.

Yet, “Magique!” slowly brings laughter not only to the mother's face, but also to the audience's. Perhaps laughter is really the best medicine. Tommy plans to use it to bring his mother out of the melancholic state she is in. He gets the perfect opportunity to do just that when the circus comes to town.

The circus theme helps to give the movie many interesting characters, as well as bringing a lot of colorful and entertaining imagery. Each new circus character tries in his or her own way to achieve the goal of making Betty laugh. In the process, each one manages to teach young Tommy something about the realities of life. The audience is also able to get to know the performers as real people.

Betty is melancholy because she has to run their honey farm by herself, and faces an emptiness in her emotional life. She has the burden of earning enough to keep the farm afloat and bring up a child. She turns to online dating sites to look for love among the profiles of strangers, but as is usually the case, there isn't any success there. Although there is a hint of romance in the story, the most endearing part of it is the loving relationship between the mother and the son.

One day, Tommy comes across a traveling circus with a similar set of problems. They are denied permission to set up their big top in a nearby village. Unable to take his mother's unhappiness, Tommy thinks of a way to cheer her up. He persuades Betty to give the performers permission to camp on their land. Tommy's only request to the performers is that they make his mother smile.

Without using unnecessary tricks, the director is able to tell his entertaining story with excellent performances by the actors. Tommy has played the role very well, with energy and sincerity, and his lovable looks really engage the compassion of viewers. While you don't actually get to see a whole circus performance, you do see the different circus characters doing their acts at different stages in the movie. Betty does succeed in showing her sadness, making you feel like reaching out to console and comfort her.

While the beautiful scenery with lush cinematography is a pleasure to watch, “Magique!” can also be called a musical as the songs tend to emphasize a certain point, or call attention to some ideas or feelings. They are all part of the story, though; some are not even complete ones, but just saying the lines in tune.

During the Rome Film Festival in Nov 2008, “Magique!” was awarded the prize for Best Film for Ages 8-12.

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