El niño de la luna

Interesting watch and pretty enjoyable. Great camera work and story. The funny quirk is I found it funny the Director had The actor for David keep his mouth open almost the whole movie! Don't know if that was intentional, just how the actor is with his resting face, but it's noticeable, and often hilarious. Not once is his mouth closed except to form words.

There is mysticism, occult, great script and the acting is pretty good overall, with some flaws in maybe pacing. The locations and shots are great for a what seems like, a TV movie. Not sure if this was released in the movie theatre. Even the kid in Africa David meets has his mouth open too...weird.

Fantastic movie, in all meanings of the term, where a child with occult powers is compelled to accomplish a mission which will bring him to the heart of Africa. This movie has many strengths, in particular the beauty of its cinematography with beautiful shots, which come back to your mind long after you've seen the film, very good acting from child actor E. Saldana, and a smart plot where rational explanations can be found to supernatural developments (a bit as H. James' Turn of the screw).

The other reviews, wide ranging as they are, give you broad view of nebulous movie. I have wide range of interests; this movie embraces none. This just a summary review. And to let you know Award Films International, of Hollywood address, has online availability of movie in DVD- R. Or, if site is down, call (818) 442 9111. AFI also sells as COA Movies on Amazon.com, presently at a better price. DVD has some still photos beyond the usual trailer, for extras. I wish I could return it, a first. Main character seems to run in place the entire movie, never really arriving. When he does reach new location, it moves so very slowly. This like a dream repeating, never satisfying. Children would not enjoy. If you have specific aim in watching, go for it. if you are taking a chance, I recommend declining. This unless you have inordinate curiosity. It's not a bad view, it's a near-OK indie, artsy, semi-intellectual, esoteric. These non-tangibles are compelling when combined with ample roots. Thousands of movies out there with more to offer. Tough to compare, try Duma meets Sixth Sense, à la mid-budget & indie Espagnol! English subtitles.

Villaronga's next movie after the magnificent IN A GLASS CAGE feels undercooked. There is a premise and there is a central character, but aspects of this "fantasy" are muddled.

The plot involves a wise child (Enrique Saldana), identified as possessing special powers, taking part in a pilgrimage that takes him to Africa -- it's a KUNDUN-esqe journey that hints at a religious, faith-based revelation that never materializes. The reason for there being "interest" in the child, from some quarters, is never fully explained, summing up the film's major problem: Too much is left up to the audience to decipher.

This being a Villaronga film, much of the imagery is commanding and the performances are strong, but the structure is weak.

A curious casting choice is Australian-born composer Lisa Gerrard (whose credits include co-writing GLADIATOR with Hans Zimmer and scoring Michael Mann's THE INSIDER) as a strange woman who has a spiritual connection to the boy "savior".

Not recommended and not widely available.

I first read about this film because I am a fan of the group Dead Can Dance.

They did the soundtrack music for this film, but they never released it as a soundtrack on CD. I searched far and wide for this film, even when a review here said it was not available on VHS or any other format besides an original 35mm print. But, fortunately, that information was wrong. This film IS AVAILABLE on VHS in the United States. It was manufactured and distributed by Award Films International and was released in 1996. I just got one of the last copies available from an online video store I found. I also managed to track it down on a site called http://www.mircscripts.com for the reasonable price of $35 (I payed $60 for my copy). It is under the name "Moon Child" and not it's Spanish name. It is in Spanish with English subtitles and is in American NTSC format. The film is great, but the rare soundtrack alone is worth buying if you are a fan of Dead Can Dance. I know that there are probably other DCD fans trying to track this down, so I wanted to give them hope. You can find this VHS!! If it's not available at the aforementioned site, just go to any search engine and search for "Award Films International" and you should find a store that carries their entire catalog (including Moon Child).

Good Luck!