Attila Marcel

The basic scenario for Sylvain Chomet's comedy-drama is reminiscent of that of SHINE (1994). A young man, the eponymous central character (Guillaume Goulx) in his early thirties demonstrates a higher-than-average talent for piano playing, but does not speak. Looked after by a pair of overbearing aunts (Bernadette Lafont, Hélène Vincent), he has little or no outlet for his talents. He discovers in the apartment below him an eccentric woman, Mme. Proust (Anne Le Ny), who administers a concoction to him, enabling him to indulge in fantasies as well as uncover the mysteries of his past.

The plot is a straightforward one, dramatizing the ways in which we often deal with trauma by repressing it. Attila Marcel's concoction is nothing more than a means by which he learns to reconnect with it. What happened might have been unpleasant, but in the end he has to learn how to deal with it. Mme. Proust eventually passes away, and the apartment is taken over by someone else; but the experience has proved cathartic.

What renders Chomet's film so entertaining are the settings, a series of suitable visual metaphors for the lives Marcel pursues. The apartment he shares with his aunts is perpetually spick-and- span: everything in the right place so that Attila can cope with life around him. The aunts believe that this is the best thing for him; as the film unfolds, we understand how they have imposed their will on him, as a way of compensating for their own spinsterhood. The seedy dance studio, where Attila plays the piano for young girls just beginning their careers, is both bare and impersonal; the only noteworthy item of furniture being the piano. This sums up the aridity of the young man's life; it's hardly surprising that he does not want to speak. And there is Mme. Proust's apartment, a positive riot of fauna and flora, with tatty furniture and a strange visitor M. Cuelho (Luis Rego) who always seems to be waking up from a trance. The confusion of her apartment expresses Attila's state of mind; it is only through the concoction that such confusions can be straightened out.

The film comes to a predictable conclusion as we discover precisely what happened to the young man's parents. Perhaps he does not need to take the concoction any more; he seems to be 'cured,' at least temporarily. But director Chomet suggests that, if he wanted to take it once more, there would be nothing wrong. Even though it might be comprised of illegal drugs, it has a beneficial effect in the end.

Admittedly, it is quite a stylish film with quite bizarre character setting and thought-provoking storyline. The childhood experience of the protagonist is gradually revealed as he receives sessions of hallucinogenic soup from a gipsy woman. The treatment makes the long-lost memories vivid again, and he finally excavated the truth of his suffocated life. Theatrical effects are achieved through some unpredictable acts of the characters, and various innovative means are employed to convey a sense of strangeness. Quirky or not, this film is certainly worth watching.

Paul is in his thirties, he is mute having seen his parents die when he was but two. Since then he has been brought up by his fabulously eccentric aunts and has become something of a virtuoso on the piano. Then a fascinating neighbour tells him that she can help him by using a concoction of herbal tea.

He soon starts to see this Madame Proust regularly and starts regression therapy of sorts. She says that 'you can drown bad memories in a flood of tiny joys' – which is sage advice indeed. The film deals with the cycle of life, the past and a host of human issues.

What unfolds is a beautiful film in terms of style and sentiment about his life and those around him, with so much thrown in that it seems to be endlessly inventive. Guillaume Gouix as Paul and Attila (his wrestling father) is superb – even more so when you consider that he is unable to speak. Everyone plays their roles to the limit and no one goes over the top to lose believability. This is just a wonderful film with music, taxidermy, tree hugging and a whole lot of love besides – one for French film fans and for those who like something a bit different, but in a really nice way.

I like the work of sylvain Chomet and I wanted to view more movies of him.

I 've completely pass by this. It remind me Amelie from Montmartre.

The tone, the color are very good, sadly the director 's first real movie suffers from a lot of rookie errors. And sometimes missing the mood that is in the movie. But I enjoy it all the time

The actors are great, sometimes to caricaturist, but do prefect the job, Paul is awesome with no words speaking.

The music is nice too, with the ukulele theme, very poetic

I hardly recommend this gold nugget for all the nostalgic and the atypical good movie. It succeed in his mission, offering a nice time.

This film is nothing short of fabulous. The memories gradually reveal the back story that is idyllic and tragic in the end, and the cause of his mental blockage. The whole is too lovely and the story is smart. It's practically perfect.