Memoir of a Snail, 2024.
Directed by Adam Elliot.
Featuring the voice talents of Sarah Snook, Kodi-Smit Mcphee, and Jacki Weaver.
SYNOPSIS:
A bittersweet memoir of a melancholic woman called Grace Pudel – a hoarder of snails, romance novels, and guinea-pigs.
Australian stop motion director, Adam Elliot has proven with the likes of Mary and Max that he can balance tragedy, humour and moments of heart and warmth. His latest the stop-motion tragicomedy Memoir of a Snail finds an impeccable balance between huge laughs and moments of utter despair. The tone is certainly aimed at adults with plenty of black humour that undercuts its more sombre moments. It is a terrific, unorthodox film that singles Elliot out as a distinctive voice in the animation landscape.
We follow Grace Pudel (Sarah Snook), a snail obsessed young woman living with her brother Gilbert and their father Percy a former juggler, originally from Paris. Grace uses snails as a way to escape the grief of losing her mother and treats them almost like real people. When tragedy strikes Grace and Gilbert are separated and searching for a way to get back to each other. Jacki Weaver as Pinky brings a huge amount of laugh’s through her quirky sensibilities and larger than life persona, offsetting Grace’s more reserved, introspective demeanour.
While Grace finds a semi loving foster family, she is beset by loneliness, largely from missing Gilbert. Gilbert meanwhile finds himself with an oppressive religious cult. This takes the film to some darker places but Elliot is still able to make light of the situation.
Of course animation has never been afraid to shy away from life’s darker moments and there are moments here that deal with addiction and the loss of loved ones in a sensitive way and with plenty of humour peppered throughout it is far from simply a depressing tale. The voice cast deliver the whimsical dialogue that has flashes of Wes Anderson in places in its tonal balance. Going into this film with a lack of knowledge may be best to keep some of its surprises and its tone a secret.
Memoir of a Snail balances its moments of utter despair and heartbreak with laughs to make you ache. The voice cast of some of Australia’s finest actors including Snook, Weaver, Kodi-Smit Mcphee and Eric Bana help to deliver the absurdist dialogue and lend it plenty of heart. It is to Elliot’s credit that he makes such a bizarre premise so engaging, heartfelt and ultimately affecting with it sure to stick with audiences long after leaving the cinema. It is a delightful film filled with optimism in the darkest of moments.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Chris Connor
