A Letter to Momo Review

From the animated films that we have watched thus far, I enjoyed A Letter to Momo the most. I believe the film had a nice balance of realism and mystical elements. I found Momo to be a very relatable character that struggles with self-identity and the loss of a loved one. Momo is struggling to identify herself after moving to Shio, Japan on top of dealing with the loss of her father who wrote her an unfinished letter. Momo’s internal struggle is very apparent throughout the film but thankfully she receives some friendship and comfort from her “demon” friends. These 3 demonic characters are distinct in their own goofy and charming kind of way. My favorite was the demon who stuck out his tongue all the time and looked kind of like Gollum from Lord of the Rings. He was a great character and brought more of the light-hearted elements of the film. One of my favorite scenes was when Momo is on the moped riding through the storm with a swarm of her demonic friends to save her mother protecting her from the rain. The imagery was very magical in that scene but the emotion and motivation was very human and real. I really loved the recurring scenes in the film where Momo wants to jump off the bridge with the other kids but she struggles with her own fear and self-doubt. In the end, after Momo has had some closure with her dead father via a spiritual communication through the letter, Momo finally has the confidence and freedom to jump off the bridge and have fun with her new friends. That is wonderful symbolism, and it really shows how much Momo’s character has changed for the better from the beginning of the film compared to the end.