Despite its shortcomings, Saint Monica is an attractive little movie. That is especially so if you like Genevieve, who has the main role as 10-year-old Monica, and appears in most scenes. Monica lives with her Portuguese-Canadian single mother and lazy uncle in a basement apartment in Toronto. For whatever reason – and that we never find out is characteristic of the movie – Monica is quite obsessed with angels, and really wants to play one in a procession of her church. Forgivably for a child, she steals large angel wings from the church, only to lose them again to an eccentric, old woman named Mary. The main plot involves her trying to get the wings back, during which she befriends the woman.

The major characters are limited to Monica, her family of two, and Mary. While the characters are reasonably interesting, we never learn very much about any of them. Some screen time is devoted to the difficulties caused by Monica having little money, but those don't really support the main story, nor are compelling on their own. One might guess that the religious topics have been the main focus of the writer.

Yet even if you're as non-religious as I am, Saint Monica has much appeal. It's a movie with a personality, and watching Monica wander around the city and deal with her child-sized problem in her quiet manner is enough in itself.