Madagascar, carnet de voyage

'MADAGASCAR, A JOURNEY DIARY': Two and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

The weakest of the 2010 Oscar animated short films this one tells the story of a young man's visit to Madagascar in animated diary formant. It was written, directed and edited by Bastien Dubois. The film jumps around from one image to another with no real story. It really is like a scapbook put to animation but the animation is rather weak and unimpressive. The lack of story or any sort of direction whatsoever makes the movie kind of dull, in my opinion, and drawn-out (even at just 11 minutes). It does deserve some points for creativity and uniqueness and also for breaking all storytelling and film rules. An odd little movie I didn't enjoy but I'm sure will find happiness with some.

Watch our review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBqNUf10kuk

The idea for this movie is simple but the result is profound. A French video game programmer took a trip to Madagascar and then decided to share his trip with the world through an animated short. The sounds of Madagascar and its music are beautifully selected, and the visuals are breath-taking as well, but what pushes this movie into the realm of greatness is the fact that every scene is presented as if we're flipping through a scrap-book. The narrator/filmmaker wisely leaves out a lot of dialogue and narration and instead opts for showing us his drawings of what he found inspiring during his trip. The perspectives of each shot are always unexpected and are quick to shift, so that we are never for a second bored. As far as content goes, the filmmaker focuses on subjects that are full of heart, vibrant. We see vendors selling their wares, children playing, house- wives on their errands, dogs picking through trash, windsurfers and much more, all shown to the rhythm of a brisk stroll. And as if all of these treats weren't enough, our narrator/protagonist goes through an eerie but enlightening transformation. It's certainly a satisfying trip!

What an interesting experience. I'm still dealing with this little film, days after i saw it. There is a non complexed attitude towards the chosen medium, the animation techniques, and the very look that is intended for the film, all of which captivates me seriously. And, like in the films i most admire, and which i consider deserve being watched repeatedly, there is a coherence between structure, form, and content, which is quite rare and always to be praised. At the same time, in this film like in many other short animations, the creative roots of the involved minds are in areas other than cinema which, in this case, is a good thing. That is because, behind films like this, we don't find any formal compromise, nor formatted heritages caused by over exposition to other works. In this case, the formal "vices" are fully related with the drawings. Those drawings are the reason for this film to exist. They are the work of a talented artist, in front of the blank sheet, someone who knows how to work contour and water paint, and who could successfully transport the spirit of both kinds of drawings to the animated film.

But what interested me more here was the attitude assumed probably during the voyage that originated this film, and which was transported to the drawings made about it (and to the photos!) and finally got stick to the film i'm commenting. All the film has a provisional character, has if it was being improvised, work in progress, opened still. Every sequence, as well as the connexions between them, seem to be informal, almost casual. Now, it is possible that a carnet de voyage, the real one, in paper, has genuinely those informal characteristics, because the carnet happens with the voyage, with the unpredictabilities of a trip. The voyage happens, simply, and drawings get built, "naturally". But transporting that inquisitive spirit of a traveler, and the resulting spontaneity to a film, which obviously carries months or even years of preparation and execution, is something very tricky, which i enjoyed here.

The trick here is, i think, is the additional plasticity that the director can add to the drawings. Those subtleties that allow us to get in the contours, and see animated characters in the water paints. And a very interesting aspect, as well, is the facto that several times the film accuses the fact that we are actually not watching a film, instead we're visiting a personal journey. That fact is many times assumed, when we see the side metal that holds the sheets, or the cover of the notebook, or pages turning. I'll want to re watch this film.

My opinion: 4/5 http://www.7eyes.wordpress.com

This uses a variety of animation styles to take us on a whistle-stop tour of Madagascar. Taking a quick coffee, we are invited to a "famadihana" - a sort of funeral ritual deep within the island. Using a lively original soundtrack, we are then whisked off in a coach taking in the towns and the sights around this huge island before being deposited amidst some farmland where a hillclimb takes us to a small village full of thatched-roof houses and friendly, smiling, people. We are here for this ceremony to commemorate a recently deceased lady. Rice and pork on the menu then a procession to her tomb where the emphasis is very much on joy tempered with respect. Meantime, some racoons are playfully enjoying the scene and the community continues it's daily routine as we proceed to explore the rest of this island, largely untouched for centuries. It has a little of the tourist video to it, this, but in an interesting and engaging fashion. The scenarios are sometimes animated, at other times static as if we were sending a postcard. The character detail can be specific or broad brush and that mixture of styles helps keep this vividly coloured feature interesting to watch for ten minutes.

The movie is a journal of a man's visit to the island. Using a series of varying art styles (some of which appear to be a journal page coming to life), you see highlights of this trip.

I was shocked when I went onto IMDb to post this review. After all, after seeing a special screening of all the Academy Award-nominated animated shorts I thought it was a best in the very strong field of five. Yes, inexplicably its score is currently only 6.9--a score that would indicate that it's only an average film (yes, 6.9 is about average on IMDb--not 5.0). I don't get it--perhaps the non-traditional story or unusual animation put off some--I thought it was brilliant and if I were awarding the Oscar I'd give it to "Madagascar".

Why did I like it so? Well, the way the film so rapidly changed from one art style to another to yet another to yet another was a wonderful way for the artists to show off their skills. I didn't mind this bouncy style at all--but, interestingly, when I called my daughter to discuss the films (she is halfway across the country but we always go to these and then talk about them on the phone), she absolutely hated it. Her impression was that the film bounced so much that it made her eyes and brain hurt and she didn't like the story. Hyperactive me, I didn't mind any of this at all and liked that the story was not at all traditional and played more like a diary coming to life.

Hmmmm....so obviously my review didn't clear this up at all for you! If you don't mind a lot of bright images and a non-traditional story, then this is for you. If you occasionally get sensory overload and demand a clear story with a start and a finish, then you might be a bit disappointed. All I know is I loved it and was very, very impressed with the artistry. A moving film and my vote for best animated short.

UPDATE: I was surprised, but just moments ago I saw that "The Lost Thing" won the Oscar for Best Animated Short. To me, this was a surprise! I guess this helps illustrate that if I like a film, it's doomed!!