WORDS: LES DUNN. FILM
IMAGE: REX/SHUTTERSTOCK
THE MOVIE
COCO (2017)
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
When his family forbid him from following his dream of musical stardom owing to a mysterious household ban, the 12-year-old Miguel rebels, ending up in the magical and colourful Land of the Dead, accompanied by Dante, his comedy sidekick dog. Once there, Miguel hopes to connect with his hometown idol, one-time guitar legend Ernesto de la Cruz, who he believes could be his greatgreat- grandfather. First, though, he must contend with his dead relatives, who are as anti-music as his living ones, forcing him to enlist the help of rogueish charmer Héctor – and he’s only got until sunrise...
WHY THIS MOVIE?
At a time like this, you may think a family movie that dives headfirst into the theme of death isn’t a good idea – but wait! Coco is a life-affirming film despite that – even, perhaps, because of it. The film pivots around the well known Mexican Día de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) and the less well known Mexican tradition of the ‘ofrenda’, a photographic shrine to lost family members, which keeps their memory alive. Ultimately, it’s a movie about cherishing your family.