An animated tale of rag doll kids with large round heads and big round eyes, set in an orphanage, sounds like a recipe for cutesy schmaltz. But, although there several moments of sentimentality, this movie manages to avoid any hint of mawkishness to provide a story of compassion and hope.
Following the death of his alcoholic mother nine year old 'Courgette' (a nickname he stubbornly clings to) is placed in a small orphanage by Raymond, a kindly and world weary policeman. Fitting in with the other kids proves difficult at first, but Courgette has the strength of character to mark out a place for himself in the small community. All have the shared bond of difficult backgrounds which set them apart from the rest of the world.
When the Kafka-reading Camille is sent to join them, our blue haired hero finds a kindred spirit to share his inner pain with, a pairing that is almost torn apart if not for the quick thinking of an unlikely helper.
At barely over an hour long it's impressive for being able to establish clear identities and backstories for all the kids in the home. Even the archetypal house bully is a more complex personality than is first apparent. Visually there's a simplicity to the world they inhabit, with nothing like the depth of background you might find in something from Nick Park, but this helps concentrate the mind on the psyches of the children, and their relationships with one another and the adults in their lives. Objects like cars and food are a toytown delight.
It's an hour of humour and genuine pathos. The portrayal of a ten year old's understanding of sex is hilarious (at least they got the 'exploding willy' right....). It's always clear that these children have been damaged by the adults who have, whatever reasons, left them to themselves, and there's some heartbreaking stories of their lives before the home. But this film is one of hope, of the resilience of human beings, and that we can find help, and even love, in unexpected places.
A little bit of Swiss magic. Here's the trailer to show you what I mean.
[I saw the subtitled version of the film, but some showings have the voices dubbed into English. I feel the latter would lose much of the charm of the original so I'd recommend going for the French language if you get the choice.]
No comments:
Post a Comment