DAY TWO  November 4, 2005
Leonardo Ricagni's A DIOS MOMO Proves Rich in Atmosphere, Emotion
by Quentin Dunne
Rich in both atmosphere and emotion, Leonardo Ricagni's A DIOS MOMO is the vibrant and lyrical story of Obdulio, an illiterate 11-year-old boy who becomes enchanted with a visiting Uruguayan street carnival. Journeying under the magical, occasionally surreal, lights of the carnival, Obdulio will not only learn to read under the tutelage of a magical "Maestro," but also come to a deeper understanding of the true meaning of friendship and even life.
For writer and director Leonardo Ricagni, the film was about more than telling a story, though, however compelling. "I migrated from my country 15 years ago," he comments. "This year, with the hope of a new Uruguay, I felt that it was the right time to go back and submerge my blood and tears into a film like this one. Thanks to A DIOS MOMO, I had the chance to revisit and water my anthropologic roots." He is also an unapologetic idealist about the power of film to affect its viewers. "Life and cinema go together, heart to heart. Cinema needs life; life needs cinema. My films are based on that faithful principle."
Ricagni shared some of his further thoughts about the film with AFI FEST 2005.
AFI: One of the great things about A DIOS MOMO is that it doesn't feel like a movie we've seen dozens of times before. How did you first conceive of the story?
Ricagni: While I was living in New York City in 2001, I was commissioned to write and direct a "Change the World with Children" campaign for UNICEF. During the filming process with Third World children in real need, my cinematographic eyes started to slowly migrate into a more socially and spiritually driven cinema. Obdulio, the boy that plays the leading role in A DIOS MOMO, was among the UNICEF children when I shot that project in Uruguay. At that time, I felt compelled to make a film that honored the life experience of the deprived children of the world.
AFI: What films or filmmakers influenced this work?
Ricagni: If my films (EL CHEVROLE, INDOCUMENTADOS, A DIOS MOMO) have a spark of the Italian neo-realism cinema, I will be living in cinematographic joy for the rest of my life. I guess that coming from an Italian family with solid roots in Latin America, I think that my filming universe is like a bridge that unites the cinema of the maestros in one end (De Sica, Rossellini, Visconti, Fellini) and at the other end the magic realism of Latin-American literature, in which the magical blends with ordinary life.
AFI: How would you describe the film's underlying spiritual themes?
Ricagni: To me, spirituality means to actively serve God with the tools he has given to us. I am trying to serve God by raising awareness through my films. In the movie, the Maestro serves God by teaching Obdulio, through the lyrics of Carnival, to read and write. We can serve God in a variety of ways--whether it be by taking care of the ill, by teaching or singing, it doesn't really matter. All that matters is to pass on the light that was given to us without expecting anything in return. That is the magic I am talking about in A DIOS MOMO. I believe in a spiritual, yet grounded, cinema--beyond religions, politics and skin colors.
AFI: What do you want the viewer to take away from A DIOS MOMO that he or she might not have had before?
Ricagni: The awareness that a drop of water could save the life of a thirsty person. A little bit of love and attention could impact a child's life in ways we would never imagine.
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