Movie Review: Saving Mango – A Cat’s Story
One-liner: While modest, overwritten and uneven, this sweet-natured indie throwback adventure comedy drama is often curious, delightful and thoughtful.
When it comes to movies with talking pets, it’s unusual for the genre to verge on suspenseful drama rather than adventure comedy. While the gentle title Saving Mango: A Cat’s Story would have you believe that this is a cute story about a cat’s misadventures, what ensues is something more in line with Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey. An authentic tale that helps reshape thinking around cats, Saving Mango is a remarkable achievement when you consider the size of the team behind this movie.
Mango, a typical house cat, discovers that his family are not coming home. After they’re involved in a car accident, the spirited cat keeps watch by the window, expecting them to return, but they never do. Having to fend for himself, he begins to realise that he’s on his own and makes plans to find his own food. The film follows his journey to survive on his own, capturing contemplative moments of loss and hope.
This film is taken from the perspective of a cat with an internal monologue to give audiences an idea of Mango’s disposition in respsone to the setbacks and challenges of essentially becoming a stray. Filmed over 120 days using a unique approach with an adopted cat, Simba himself became an active participant in Mango’s storytelling. His spontaneous actions often influenced the plot, leading to unexpected and delightful moments.
Choosing to shoot from a cat’s eye level at times with the kind of visual elements that would probably entertain a cat, there’s a sense of wonder to this modest production. Capturing some exquisite moments from its animal performers with a small crew, Saving Mango plays a bit like a nature documentary. The quick edit keeps things upbeat as the story progresses, with a sense of continuity established by the voice of Mango, played by Josh Bloomberg who is reminiscent of Ryan Reynolds.
It takes a little while to get used to this narrative format, giving prime focus to the central voice of Mango with a relatively sparse script otherwise. Going from his daily routine to discovering that playtime may in fact be hunt time, the progressive transformation is intriguing, and the concept presents a challenging yet unconventional style of storytelling.
Essentially an experimental cat version of Castaway, the minutiae of being a cat becomes central, from waiting patiently much like Hachiko to inadvertently being thrown into a full-blown adventure. The film’s message challenges the common misconception that cats are aloof and self-centered. Mango’s story reveals that cats have a capacity for love, affection and loyalty.
“There’s nothing quite like home.”
The cat tumbles out of its comfort zone, presented with a quest where Mango must contend with fierce strays and a few oddball humans. The story could have been animated, but this live-action version remains curious as the filmmakers attempt to create a fluid and entertaining adventure peppered with comedy and suspense. While the monologue could have been sparser and funnier, the film is experimental in nature, not leaning into typical family fare.
This keeps things interesting and unpredictable with the tonal shifts swaying from the thrill of suspense to some plucky comedy. The comic relief is most welcome after some darker interludes, but Saving Mango can be a little jarring at times as poor Mango finds himself at the mercy of strangers.
The human cast are not the focus here, ironically giving Josh Bloomberg and Simba the lion’s share of the work. It’s a challenge to film animals and the filmmakers have made adjustments in the editing room to smooth things over. While the choice of shots is dynamic and captivating, with what appears to be a filter to offer a magical quality, some moments could have used more finesse.
Being a low-budget production, one can appreciate the great lengths the filmmakers went to in order to make this story flow with a tiny crew. Shooting what must have been countless hours of footage in order to get the desired effect and lace the story together, it’s done in a comprehensible way without losing the central themes. As cute as it is to have a talking cat, the monologue could have been used more sparingly based on the visual storytelling.
A labour of love for Oren Peled and his family, you can appreciate the throwback concept and central character, which could easily be adapted with a bigger budget. Perhaps if this were the case, the script would be able to be revised to carry the same momentum and fun characterisation. As it stands, Saving Mango: A Cat’s Story is a plucky indie adventure that’s delightful, entertaining and unconventional in spite of its flaws and inconsistencies.
The bottom line: Sweet