The Red Turtle

A man is stranded on a tiny ocean island. All that happens from then on is beautifully drawn and animated, but is quite metaphorical. It's all about the cycle of life, so try to read more into events than just what's on the surface. Hah, the surface, get it? Well, you will when you see the film.

There is absolutely no dialogue, just this simple story that somehow makes you feel stuff. The movements of the characters and animals are so fun and natural (maybe except a bat that was flying like a bird for some reason), the visuals are beautiful, it's a relaxing show.

It might put you off with the pacing, perhaps. I found myself looking at how much was remaining from the film several times, but most of the time I was entertained. I liked it.

I'm a big fan of survival films. In particular, J.C. Chandor's All Is Lost is my favorite film of the decade so far and it's with high praise that I say that The Red Turtle reminded me so much of it. The animation is simple, but it's perfect for this type of story. It's an amazingly written film. It understands the power of visual storytelling and it never loses our gaze. The music score is also perfectly integrated, composed and mixed with a real care for the quieter moments and it never overdoes anything (something that many dialogue-less films do). Animation or no animation, you become deeply invested in these characters. I can't recommend this film enough. I highly recommend it.

There are times when you really start to question why the characters in 'The Red Turtle (2017)' aren't talking to one another, since they can vocalise (even shouting "hey" on occasion) and end up resorting to clumsy pseudo sign-language. The flick's allegorical nature falls slightly short on a couple of key contradictory points, too. This is a beautifully animated, wonderfully moving and somewhat poignant tale of a man's life and the unexpected turns it takes when he meets the eponymous turtle, though. It's touching, exciting, tense and intriguing stuff that usually shows just how powerful visual storytelling really can be. Even though, on occasion, it drags a little and starts to wade around in its own limitations slightly, it's still a wonderful and friendly picture. 7/10

"The Red Turtle" is an animated film that left my entire family feeling quietly devastated without even being able to put our fingers on why.

With no dialogue, it traces the trajectory life takes for most people: starting out alone, finding someone to partner with, raising children, watching those children leave, and then saying goodbye yourself to the world. The film explores how things that can at first seem like barriers to happiness and contentment can eventually lead us to the things about life that we cherish most. It's not a film full of big, obvious emotions, but instead works a quiet and subtle spell. My eight year old was extremely attuned to the melancholy sadness of the film and spent a couple of minutes in tears afterwards. It gave us a good opportunity to talk about why the movie made him sad and to make him feel OK about having honest reactions to what are essentially the ups and downs of life.

Nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 2016 Academy Awards.

Grade: A

The movie is visually stunning and conceptually intriguing.

Animator Michael Dudok de Wit has had the improbable chance to make his feature-length debut in partnership with studio Ghibli, and with full artistic autonomy. The result is one hour and a half of purely visual narrative. A bold choice but with no doubt one that works out beautifully. The result is simple, fresh and beautiful, and definitely worthy of the Studio Ghibli stamp.

However, leaving the theater, I had the peculiar impression of having watched the world's longest short. It's an observation that's neither positive nor negative, at least I've been unable to define whether this is an accomplishment or a weakness. That is to say : the film might come off as a bit light, but at the same time, its single-topic approach is elegant and truly enjoyable to watch, and beautifully poetic in its way of finding big stories in the simplest of things.

Anyway, a debut that makes us very curious where Mchaël Dudok de Wit will take us in his future work.