Directed
by Michael Dudok de Wit. (2016, 81 min).
Studio
Ghibli fans should take note that although it
is co-produced by the legendary anime studio (highly touted in ads
and on the cover), The Red Turtle is primarily a
French-Belgian production, the first full-length feature by director
Michael Dudok de Wit. Those same fans shouldn't let that dissuade
them either, because even though this film is stylistically
different, it's as aesthetically beautiful as Hayao Miyazaki's best
work.
As
for the slight story...there's a man stranded on a deserted island.
Since there's an abundance of food and water, survival isn't much
of a struggle. However, his several escape attempts are thwarted by a
giant sea turtle that keeps destroying his makeshift rafts. When the
turtle crawls from the sea onto the beach, the man violently
attacks it, then turns it onto its back, rendering it
helpless. Without going into story-spoiling specifics, this single
act changes the man's life in more ways than one, most significantly,
the family he eventually has while on the island.
None
of the characters have names or distinctive personalities, nor do we
learn anything about them other than what we see. Even their facial
features are drawn in a minimalist style. And aside from the
occasional call of "Hey!", there's absolutely no dialogue.
Yet The Red Turtle still manages to be emotionally stirring.
From a narrative standpoint, the first half of the film - when the
man is alone, save for some amusing white crabs who follow him around
- is the strongest, effectively conveying his sense of isolation
and desperation, not unlike Tom Hanks' character in Cast Away.
 |
| Some folks suck at Hide & Seek. |
The
second half isn't quite as compelling, though still stirring
and poignant. But the story isn't really the driving force behind The
Red Turtle. This is a
brilliantly animated film, and while there are fantasy elements, the
imagery is more fluid and realistically drawn than what you see in
traditional anime. That, coupled with a haunting music score, renders
the whole thing more like a piece of visual poetry. Or maybe it's
simply been so long since I've seen a brand new traditionally-animated film
that I was enraptured by its artistry.
The
Red Turtle was nominated for Best Animated Feature this year.
While I believe the best movie won (Zootopia), this is an
equally impressive technical achievement. Best of all, it's appeal
isn't limited to children. Its simple-yet-engrossing story, coupled
with stunning hand-drawn animation, make the film a terrific change of pace from the usual stuff passing itself off as family fare. This one's definitely worth repeated viewings.
EXTRA
KIBBLES
FEATURETTES:
"The Birth of The Red Turtle"; "The Secrets of The Red
Turtle"
AFI
FEST Q&A - The director discusses making the film to a festival
audience.
KITTY CONSENSUS:
MEE-OW! A DIFFERENT BRAND OF CAT FOOD, BUT STILL PRETTY DAMN TASTY
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