Libérez Jimmy

Isn't it annoying how film reviewers describe unusual films often as (insert film title here) on drugs? So LIFE OF BRIAN is THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD on dope, MEET THE FEEBLES is MUPPETS on acid, and perhaps JAWS once was FLIPPER on steroids. Having said that, FREE JIMMY literally is DUMBO on speed. No, really: Jimmy is a circus elephant that's kept quiet with downers and pushed with uppers for the show. And that old pachyderm is wanted by many groups. Smalltime crooks want to retrieve heroin sewn under the animal's skin, the Lappland mafia wants the same, militant animal activists want to free the tortured beast, and drunk Swedish game hunters look for anything as big as a moose to shoot in the Scandinavian outbacks. Doesn't sound like your run-off-the-mill blockbuster, and it isn't. FREE JIMMY is a CG-animated Norwegian film, skillfully voiced by Woody Harrelson, Kyle McLachlan, Samantha Morton, Simon Pegg, Jim Broadbent and others. It's wickedly non-pc, with a number of hilarious scenes, and sometimes reminds one of FRITZ THE CAT with the sex and suffering animals shown. It works as a FREE WILLY spoof, not sparing any of Jimmy's pursuers from scoff and mockery. It's not as insanely funny as THE FEEBLES were, but a good nasty laugh nonetheless. 7/10

The problem with modern animation is that the first observations from commentors seem to be about the quality of the animation. It distracts, at least when the film is big budget.

The advantage of this sort of animation for me is that the filmmaker can go further into the extreme, can be more dramatic and large, more risky and imaginative, than the limits of humans and cameras allows. This film means more to me on that account than any of the Pixar projects, and I admire them greatly. But at the end of the day with them, they leave you were they found you, except for their experiments with depth and space.

this instead tries for something deeper, something that matters, the stuff that justifies theater.

The basic spine of this is the filmmaker's brother. He was a performer killed by drugs, like the titular Jimmy. Often violent and pitiful, once you know this fact, the portrayal of the elephant is pretty heartwrenching. Overlayed on it is a vehicle for Nordic humor: stuff an American audience will miss, both because the jokes are beyond us and because the English script is different. There are some engaging episodes here: funny, disgusting, poignant. They are the means used for transporting us, the tricks used to convince us into collaborating on maintaining an alternative world.

Its that world that works for me. Its a mix of the previously mentioned extremes plus three traditional forms. Its a conventional tragedy. Everything grinds toward the inevitable. But its a noir too. There are incredible coincidences brought on by the mechanism of watching. Its a closed world that produces unlikely twists and that captures people in a fate that is for our amusement. And it is folded. Usual folds are simple, with one viewer mechanism. Here there are many viewing agents, each one controlling some element of the noir (except the Norweigians, a joke). Hunters, Laplanders, some Russian circus punks, some animal rights terrorists, and a Moose.

All of these three: tragedy, viewer-incited noir and observer-folding reinforce the story of the lost brother.

This works. Its worthy.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

This sure is an odd piece of work. It's the best Norwegian animated feature since the extremely well made Pinchcliffe Grand Prix, but in the end it doesn't even reach up to the knees of the old classic. However, that's not saying it's bad. It's good, but it's just not perfect. I really got quite sentimental about that old junkie elephant, but then it hit me - it's just a lump of pixels. The set detail is all very gritty and gloomy, just like junkie life is supposed to be, but at some points the quality of the graphics take me a bit out of the story. Or possibly the story dragged a bit on some points, and that made me think about the graphics. I don't know, but there's something that didn't feel right. Still the film kicks back a few quite memorable laughs. But while the film has a really serious topic of drug use, I feel like it's handled a bit superficially. The reason for it I think is what seems to be the need to fill out the film with action and Brit-like complication humour all the time. I don't know, or maybe the creator was on speed when he made it... The speed scene, bye the way, is one of the funniest in the film. Most of the humour is low key and dark, but at some points it's just plain hilarious. Just the thought of a Sami biker mafia is bound to make you chuckle. Not all of the humour hit home, though, like when Nielsen (the director) tries to do a Tarantino on you. Still, the budgetary lapse of this production was worth it, because for every fault this film has, there are at least two things that makes up for it. So, if you're in for something dark, strange and funny - go see it! Or like Timothy Leary would have said it: "Turn on, tune in, drop out."

The story's about the life of a junkie circus elephant and the filth of the human society who want to make money off him.

The movie is quite sad and will bring out emotions in the viewer which are normally not associated with animation. Animation does seem to be the right medium for this real-life inspired tragedy.

Its a tribute from the director to a brother who lost his life to drugs. Obviously once one knows the history this movie is borne out of, it becomes easier to appreciate the story.

Joachim Nielsen, rest in peace. If you are up there watching this, i hope you enjoyed it as much as i did.

I would be wasting my time and breath on explaining the trouble with critic reviews. This film was described as "insufficiently funny" -- I am not sure why it is listed as a comedy, but it is certainly not one. With that said; this movie is FANTASTIC! It has funny moments in the sick and twisted fashion of life handing you lemons, however, it is beautifully and deliciously dark and twisted. VERY DARK, VERY WELL WRITTEN AND DIRECTED. Is this film for kids? NO. Is this film for teenagers, adults, and fans of good movies? YES! I hope this film finds it's English speaking market. I think the fans will love this film and I that one day it will reach the cult status it deserves. Great job!!