Momo

Momo, an orphan living in an abandoned amphitheatre, has one talent: listening. Men in grey suits arrive in town, persuade people to save time, and take the accumulated time for themselves. Everyone starts hurrying and nobody has time for anyone. Momo opposes them alone. Enzo D'Alo directed, from Michael Ende's 1973 novel. The animation is hand-drawn and Italian; the design does not follow the book's illustrations but its own visual language. The idea is a direct critique of modern life: life itself spent in the name of efficiency. The grey men operate like a corporation. The theft of time is made concrete visually; cigar smoke, clocks and a grey palette are the instruments of the telling. Gianna Nannini wrote the songs. Ende's book was read by generations in Germany and this adaptation was widely shown in Europe. Who it is for: viewers who like philosophical children's books and European animation. Who it is not for: anyone expecting fast animation; the film is slow and talkative.