Miracolo a Milano

Miracle in Milan is a movie that has one of those heart-warming characters with an indomitable spirit who brightens the lives of everyone around him. I quite liked how Francesco Golisano played this character because he never acts as though this is a struggle for him, he simply is kind and optimistic as a part of his nature. The film starts off somewhat comical, but otherwise perfectly normal as the people living homeless in Milan seek a way to survive. I was charmed by this whole section of the film, and seeing the way that the human spirit fought to live a normal life despite not having all the modern conveniences that money provides. There is also a fun contrast when we see these poor people interacting with the rich and privileged people who want to take possession of the land. A meeting in the big city was one of the most humorous scenes in the film, as we see these homeless people in the most over-the-top opulence.

The turn for the film comes later when a magical element is added to the story. This is where things got weird. I liked the idea of empowering our hero in a unique way, but his new-found ability kind of shifted the tone and even the plot of the film. Suddenly, it was looking at how greed could entrap even those who once knew how to live with nothing. But it never felt the script fully addressed how damaging this behavior was to the people as they received everything that they thought would make life better. Also, the original plot is still happening, but it seems the importance of it is diminished. I wouldn't mind a kind of Monkey's Paw story, where someone is given magical powers that end up ruining life when it was supposed to help, but it is not the plot I was invested in from the outset. Then the ending is extremely odd and leaves me with more questions than answers. I definitely liked elements of Miracle in Milan, but if it remained focused in one direction or the other I would have enjoyed it more.