Elio, 2025 - ★★★½
Saturday, June 21, 2025
“I just want to belong somewhere.”
Elio is a welcoming surprise. Initially, I had low expectations for this movie after watching the trailer. But after I saw the initial reception, which was quite positive, I became curious to see it for myself. So, I decided to give it a try, and I'm glad I did.
While this movie is clearly aimed more at children than adults, it still tells a touching story. The visuals and story are vibrant, whimsical, and delightfully silly, with a setting that's out of this world, literally, since it has a space-related theme. Despite its playful tone and the out-of-touch from reality, it's also quite emotional. The creators nailed both the humor and heartfelt moments beautifully.
I love how they're trying to convey the feelings of loneliness and not belonging anywhere. The story follows Elio as he ventures into outer space, discovers what's truly out there, and learns to find his sense of belonging in a complete unknown territory. The movie builds this theme beautifully and delivers it effectively—bringing the message home, quite literally. I love that. I think it's a challenging topic for a kid's movie to tackle in a fun way, yet they succeed in this one. Though the approach is undeniably silly, it's fun, and I genuinely laughed at the jokes and storyline.
“Well, I like you, and you seem fine to me.”
I also appreciate the film's message that uniqueness can sometimes make us feel lonely, but even in a world that encourages conformity, we can embrace our unique selves and still feel loved anyway. But they could have reinforced the message more strongly and been more fully developed with the ending, and it would be a better movie for it.
Overall, I enjoyed Elio. It's a good movie with a good message that can help lessen feelings of loneliness, especially in times when we seem more divided than ever.
And to anyone reading this: “Okay, bye, I love you.”