A lot of criticism has been levelled at this film, along with considerable incredulity that it attracted Pele and John Huston to its cast. Lets set the record straight. This is a true story, which John Huston was passionate about bringing to the screen. Which is why he worked so hard to put the project together. Pele was in it because he was involved in the events depicted in the film. The film cast one or two other of the original protagonists to play themselves, and also, I believe, genuine orphans to play the orphans. This was intended to lend authenticity to the performances, which it does. It also lends a natural, unforced, quality to the performances of the children. The quality of the script and direction is such that you don't need precursor events to set up one's knowledge of the children's characters. They are simply who they are, and the viewer, if paying attention, understands them and their motivations immediately. This film is admittedly not typically in the American style, as it does not spell everything out. It tends more towards the European style of film making, with its lean and spare script assuming intelligence in the viewer. I love the refreshingly un-cutesie nature of the film, and the fact that its not a straight-forward City Corporation bad, orphans good story. It is never that black and white.
Review of A Minor Miracle
