Mia and the White Lion
Directed by:
Gilles de MaistreCinematography:
Brendan BarnesComposer:
Armand AmarCast:
Daniah De Villiers, Mélanie Laurent, Langley Kirkwood, Brandon Auret, Ryan Mac Lennan, Lionel Newton, Lebohang ElephantVOD (3)
Plots(1)
When eleven-year-old Mia moves to Africa with her family, she's not exactly thrilled. Everything changes when a white lion cub is born at their farm. Mia builds a unique relationship with the beast, they grow and evolve together. At the age of fourteen, Mia finds out that her father has sold it to trophy hunters, so she decides to save her beloved beast. This adventurous story set in the African savannah was three years in the making. (Febiofest)
(more)Reviews (2)
Mia and the White Lion reminded me a lot of the 2013 German film Windstorm, which also focused on the friendship between a girl and a wild animal. In the end, I liked the lion's adventure a bit more than the horse one, as I found it more believable. I must commend the amazing animal work and the many beautiful shots of the wild African landscape. The fact of how cruelly lions are treated in South Africa, for the pleasure of inhuman monsters, shocked me greatly. I appreciate that the film tries to highlight these unpleasant realities alongside the family-relationship issues.
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A naive children's story? Perhaps, but it is also a beautiful tale of a determined girl and her friendship with a white lion that poignantly highlights the injustice perpetrated by human beasts on the majestic king of animals. It has always been my dream to visit wild Africa, so I really enjoyed this film, especially since there was no shortage of suspense and pleasant music. It's almost hard to believe that the filming was done with real white lions and not digital substitutes. It is an amazing three-year project based on the perfect coexistence of children and lions, which deserves admiration and must tug at the heartstrings of every nature-loving person. (80%)
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