- Release year: 2024
- Director: Adam Elliot.
- Producers: Adam Elliot and Liz Kearney.
- Screenplay by: Adam Elliot.
- Cinematography by: Gerald Thompson.
- Music by: Elena Kats-Chernin.
Synopsis: a woman tells her life story to a snail.
Shotgun Commentary: 90% depressing, 10% hopeful.
Review
Memoir of a Snail is a gorgeous, incredibly depressing, based-on-true-events story told through claymation. Have you had a good streak of happy days? Have you managed to forget how dreadful and bleak life can be? You are in luck! You can now enjoy this film and watch your soul get slowly crushed for the foreseeable future in only an hour and a half!
Claymation at its best
This animation feature has been incredibly popular in film festivals all over the world, and with good reason. The technique and the test work great together, both are detailed and really expressive. Despite not being a fan of stop-motion in general, as it is often too creepy and unnerving for this writer’s taste, the claymation of this film is undeniably wonderful.
The movements do have that unnatural feel to them, but the effects and small add-ons make the story feel almost live-action. The characters have no business looking as human as they do. Despite having the usual exaggerated features of all claymation characters, the visual effects and small imperfections added to them give them a layer of realism that is as unexpected as it is welcomed.
A bittersweet experience… Mostly bitter, though
As for the story, even without prior knowledge of its real-life foundation, one can tell that it is, indeed, based on real people. The blend of suffering, betrayal, hope, love and hate displays the type of perfect balance one can only find in reality. As such, it is even easier to connect with the characters and relate, to a point, with their struggles. Still, as mentioned at the beginning of this review, this film will very likely tear your soul. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, really. Still, if you want to disconnect from life’s hardships and get your cheer on, watch Moana 2 (2024). This is not the film you’re looking for.
That is not to say that Memoir of a Snail doesn’t have its humour. Event through the darkest of times, one can always find something to laugh at. In its strive to faithfully represent a real experience, this film also offers that comedic respite from time to time in the form of puns, irony and small details hidden in the images, like the bus plate in one of the most dramatic scenes reading YRU SAD.
Relatable characters
The characters in the story are complex, yet easily relatable. Too true to be clichés, but you can certainly sense where they are heading next. Sarah Snook is a great choice to narrate the tragedies of Grace Pudel, the protagonist of the story. Her smooth, melodic voice gives you a sense of security even through the darkest parts of the story, like an auditory hand you can hold onto.
As for the rest of the characters, they all have very characteristic tones and pitches, making each one easily recognisable and hinting at their personalities even before you have got to know them.
Religion and hypocrisy
Of course, one can’t just write a review about this film without mentioning the fantastic work it does putting the hypocrisy of religion in the spotlight. People mixing up facts and beliefs is a common occurrence. When one is incapable of distinguishing their opinion from an objective fact, one might become combative for no reason. It happens a lot on social media, where people are further encouraged to be specially cruel thanks to the cover provided by an online profile.
However, this confusion can be really harmful, and religious communities are the best example of this. Throughout history, most of the worst conflicts humankind has suffered through have been connected to religion, to ridiculous, baseless beliefs that have been put above objective, basic realities.
Gilbert Pudel (Kodi Smit-McPhee), Grace’s brother, is the victim of a small-scale horror of this kind. Through his experience, the hypocrisy that is commonly imbedded in religious organisations comes out like the horribly disgusting monster that it is, reminding us all that faith and principles could not be more apart from those who try to profit from them.
All in all, Memoir of a Snail is a great depiction of life, so much so that you might feel quite crushed after watching it. The story is wonderful and the characters charming. A must-watch for all drama lovers.
Advice to take from this movie:
- Never trust a person that presents themselves as simple and superficial.
- Compulsive buying/hoarding is never the answer to your problems.
- Be nice. It’s cliché but just, be nice.
What’s your take? Have you watched Memoir of a Snail? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message in my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀