The imperfections in the film's animation remind me of old Aardman films like Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers and Chicken Run. The smudges and finger prints on the models make those movies more lively and personal, and it enhances the narrative connection they offer beyond being material it looks like we can reach through the screen and feel. Memoir of a Snail is no different in that since the animators make their mark on the film, literally and figuratively, which I like a lot. Spoilers: As for the rest of the film, it was darker than I anticipated. They go all out with the despair Grace and co feel and endure. The bigger she spirals into anguish, pardon the pun, the more I'm wondering how she was going to escape her depressive state. The snail poison bit almost answered that question, but thank god she had Pinky in her life, and her giving Grace advice on how to move forward in times of great stress was nice. Her retreating into herself after her hardships made things worse for her health, but I liked how that is remedied with learning to taking in the little moments as much as she can in order to keep moving forward, and break out of the shell she made for herself. The twist with Gilbert being alive in the end caught me off guard, but I'm glad he made it back to Grace. It was a big relief for both of them after the hellish lives they've lived. The humor was pretty bonkers too; some of the violence and sex jokes came out of left field and gave me a good chuckle here and there, and uplifted me from its bleaker parts. The soundtrack is wonderful as well. Orchestral melancholic songs are always a plus for me as it always puts me in a serene mood for some reason I can't describe. Whenever I hear something like it, I have a compulsion to reflect and ponder on things in a somber mood, similar to what Grace and Gilbert do with their letters to each other. I personally like Flow more, but I agree Memoir of a Snail is a magnificent movie. I hope films like these get more attention in the future; the animation scene would benefit from some variety. Great review!
the animation of this movie is absolutely gorgeous, gonna have to put this on the to-watch list
The imperfections in the film's animation remind me of old Aardman films like Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers and Chicken Run. The smudges and finger prints on the models make those movies more lively and personal, and it enhances the narrative connection they offer beyond being material it looks like we can reach through the screen and feel. Memoir of a Snail is no different in that since the animators make their mark on the film, literally and figuratively, which I like a lot.
Spoilers:
As for the rest of the film, it was darker than I anticipated. They go all out with the despair Grace and co feel and endure. The bigger she spirals into anguish, pardon the pun, the more I'm wondering how she was going to escape her depressive state. The snail poison bit almost answered that question, but thank god she had Pinky in her life, and her giving Grace advice on how to move forward in times of great stress was nice. Her retreating into herself after her hardships made things worse for her health, but I liked how that is remedied with learning to taking in the little moments as much as she can in order to keep moving forward, and break out of the shell she made for herself. The twist with Gilbert being alive in the end caught me off guard, but I'm glad he made it back to Grace. It was a big relief for both of them after the hellish lives they've lived.
The humor was pretty bonkers too; some of the violence and sex jokes came out of left field and gave me a good chuckle here and there, and uplifted me from its bleaker parts. The soundtrack is wonderful as well. Orchestral melancholic songs are always a plus for me as it always puts me in a serene mood for some reason I can't describe. Whenever I hear something like it, I have a compulsion to reflect and ponder on things in a somber mood, similar to what Grace and Gilbert do with their letters to each other.
I personally like Flow more, but I agree Memoir of a Snail is a magnificent movie. I hope films like these get more attention in the future; the animation scene would benefit from some variety. Great review!