La Tortue rouge

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

Plunder what you will, it's well worth the effort and a very rewarding one at that. Your interpretations will vary depending on your own experiences but you will recognise many elements, mostly metaphorical in their nature, that you can reflect upon and align with your own sands of time. Enchantingly ascribed to the medium of film, it also teaches us that simplicity and less complex presentations can often remove distortions that more technical offerings inadvertently introduce. We are still only Hunter Gatherers at the end of the day, and at the start of all those subsequent days that follow.

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.

As far as I know this is the first time the illustrious Studio Ghibli has cooperated with a director outside Japan. Still they gave it their trade mark detailed approach to the depiction of nature, and since the whole story is about nature, and about human beings as a part of nature - it counts. What we get is a fable/fairy tale, about a survivor-castaway getting to a deserted island with no human or other land in sight. And the surprising story of his life following that event. I don't do spoilers, and almost anything I could add would be a spoiler. So I'll limit myself to one more remark - the absence of dialogue works for this movie and in a way make this fantastic story more real. Words seem unnecessary as the story develops.

Though it's animation, it's not exactly made for children, but it could work very well for children viewing it. The auditorium in the Jerusalem Film Festival was packed with children and I didn't hear a single complaint.

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.