Bonkers

Bonnie is a Dutch girl with a problem: She believes her mother is bonkers. The woman suffers from manic depression, with highs so high and lows so low as to send the family into a tailspin. But when Bonnie’s grandmother, both the foundation and rudder of the clan, is killed in a car accident, the girl faces an uncertain future in foster care or an orphanage and so takes steps to keep her family intact. Which include befriending the weirdo neighbor and taking in a pet elephant. As with all great children’s stories, many examples of which are screening at this subset within the film festival, Bonkers refuses to sugarcoat Bonnie’s reality; instead, it weaves a bittersweet tale about the power of love and imagination, the lesson being that life can only be endured in the company of loved ones—whom you might have to find and create for yourself. 612-331-3134; www.mnfilmarts.org