Sundance review: 'Binti' is an exuberant kids' film with a timely message

‘Binti’

★★★1/2

Playing in the Kids section of the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Running time: 90 minutes: in Dutch, with English subtitles.

Screens again: Sunday, Jan. 26, 3:30 p.m., Redstone 1 (Park City); Thursday, Jan. 30, 6:30 p.m., Prospector (Park City); Saturday, Feb. 1, 1 p.m., Redstone 2 (Park City).

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If American kids’ movies were as naturally energetic, and as willing to explore some hard emotional truths, as the Belgian movie “Binti,” our children and Hollywood would be much better for it.

Newcomer Bebel Tshiani Baloji plays Binti, a 12-year-old girl who was born in Congo but is living her best life in Antwerp, Belgium. She runs around with her cameraphone, recording her daily doings and posting the results on her YouTube channel, which has a thousand subscribers — which is pretty good, but nothing compared to her idol, actress and TV presenter Tatyana Beloy (who appears as herself).

Binti lives with her dad, Jovial (played by the actress’ father, the one-named Belgian rapper Baloji), a poet and artist. They live in a crowded but happy squatters’ building, until the police raid the place looking for undocumented immigrants — which Binti and Jovial are. The pair elude the police, and end up in a small wood, where Binti hides in a backyard treehouse.

Binti soon is confronted by the owner of the treehouse, Elias (Mo Bakker), who’s the same age as Binti. Elias is obsessed with saving the okapi from extinction, and quickly enlists Binti to help with his campaign. Soon Binti and, after a while, Jovial are welcomed by Elias’ mom, Christine (Joke Devynck), a children’s fashion designer. The arrival of these strangers doesn’t sit well with Chrisine’s neighbor Floris (Frank Dierens), who has romantic designs on Christine.

Writer-director Frederike Migom keeps the tone light and breezy, taking her cue from her endlessly energetic leading lady. But Migom is not timid about diving into tough subject matter, like the plight of refugees and undocumented immigrants, in ways that respect the intelligence of the movie’s young audience. Hollywood could learn from this.

There are a few clunky bits in the script, such as plot points that rely on people misunderstanding overheard conversations. But Migom’s visual inventiveness, and the genuine chemistry between father and daughter Baloji, carry “Binti” over any rough patches.