By james art Contrary to what the title suggests, Memoirs of a Snail not a spin-off of Diary of a Worm. And even though it’s a stop-motion animated film, it’s certainly not a children’s film. So, for anyone expecting something like Wallace and Gromitthat is not what you will get. Memoirs of a Snail notes the director Adam Elliottthe first film in over 15 years and for those who know even a little about his previous film, Mary and Maxyou already know the emotional roller coaster that awaits you. Depicting themes of mental illness, sexuality, religious extremism, body dysmorphia, alcoholism and death, this is not a film for those looking for something light-hearted. However, those who hold back will find themselves enveloped in one of the most beautiful films of the year.
What is Memoir of a Snail about?
Grace Poodle (Sarah Snook) went through a lot. The film opens with her grieving the loss of her elderly friend Pinky (Jackie Weaver) and releases his favorite snails. This is where Grace begins to tell her life story to her beloved snail, Sylvia. Grace’s mother died while giving birth to her and her twin brother Gilbert (Cody Smith-McPhee), leaving his father Percy (Dominique Pinon), a paraplegic and an alcoholic, to take care of her and her brother.
Despite adverse circumstances in their family, Grace and Gilbert still find happiness in each other and their fatherwho despite his alcoholism is incredibly loving. Gilbert is incredibly protective of Grace, fighting the schoolyard bullies who make fun of her because of her cleft lip. Gilbert also has a fixation on setting things on fire and dreams of becoming a street performer like his father. Grace has inherited her mother’s obsession with snails and uses all the money she has to collect snail-related memorabilia.
The Poodle family’s happiness did not last long. After Percy dies in his sleep, Grace and Gilbert are immediately placed into the foster care system and forced to move to opposite ends of Australia. Grace moves in with two childless suburban swingers who are nice enough but seem far more interested in their promiscuous lifestyles. Instead, Grace finds a true parental figure in Pinky, a free-spirited woman who, despite facing numerous tragedies herself, always seems to be in good spirits. On the other hand, Percy moves in with a family of religious fundamentalist fruit growers who force him to stick magnets on his skin to ward off any “bad auras”.
Memoirs of a Snail finds joy in the dark
As you can probably already tell, Memoirs of a Snailis an incredibly dark and mature film. Or as mature as a stop motion movie with swingers can get. Its bleakness can seem unrelenting at times, leaving you to wonder how a movie like this could have a happy ending. Still, Elliot succeeds find laughter and levity in the small moments since his last venture. Whether it’s Pinkie’s various misadventures earlier in life or the books that Grace, Gilbert, and Percy can be found reading throughout the movie with some very amusingly named pirate-themed erotica.
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There is something so unassuming about the way Eliot has crafted Memoirs of a Snail. It doesn’t look as artistic as other adult cartoons such as Anomalisabut it doesn’t feel as young as a movie Sausage party. You can tell how much Elliott cares about the characters on screen and he doesn’t feel obligated to just have terrible things happen to them. make no mistake Memoirs of a Snail takes itself very seriously, but never to the point where it feels overly melodramatic. Eliot balances the tone carefully; there’s never a single scene that feels out of place or leaves you scratching your head.
While all the heavy themes are still present, Memoirs of a Snail is also very much a film about hopeeven in the cruelest of circumstances, a message that feels universal. By the time the movie was over, I found myself breathing a sigh of relief. I went into the film knowing next to nothing about it beyond the director, and was shocked at how immersed I was in the characters’ journeys.
Memoirs of a Snail is flawlessly animated
The character design in Memoirs of a Snail are flawless. While some may consider the cute aesthetic childish, it helps you become even more attached to the story and the world it creates. Sarah Snook’s voice work as Grace is omnipresent throughout the performance. This choice may take a while to get used to, but it adds to the film’s charm, especially with Elliott’s almost poetic script dropping lines of dialogue like “Childhood is a lot like being drunk, because everyone remembers what you made, except you.” The movie is filled to the brim with such quotes that seem like they were meant for those loving texts you might get from your mother. On paper, these quotes may seem too sweet, but they add to the poignant nature of the film.
Snook gives one of the best voice performances of the year. Not once does he feel like he’s haphazardly reading lines into a microphone. She infuses so much emotion and soul into Grace and it pairs perfectly with Elliott’s stunning animation.
Elliott’s stop-motion work feels authentic and unglamorous in ways we don’t often see in many mainstream animated films. Memoirs of a Snail it doesn’t shine with color left and right and goes for a more gray and beige aesthetic, but it doesn’t make the film feel boring. Not only does it fit the film’s intimate tone, but it also makes the world feel much more alive.
Elena Kats-CherninThe result of also cannot go unrecognized, especially the use of piano perfectly complementing the film’s equally gentle and grounded approach. As the story is largely told through letters written between Grace and Gilbert, the score becomes a character in its own right and infuses even more personality into Eliot’s vision.
Memoirs of a Snail is not only one of the best animated films of the year, but also one of the best films of 2024 overall. 2024 was a spectacular year for animation, according to DreamWorks’ beautiful sci-fi fable The wild robot to Pixar’s emotional sequel From the inside out 2and Memoirs of a Snail is another strong media outlet. This is one of the most human films of the yearand you’d have to be a cold-blooded cynic not to be at least somewhat moved by the time the credits roll.
Memoirs of a Snail is a beautifully animated and deeply human story that will shake the hearts of even the most hardened critics.
- The film perfectly balances its dark theme with moments of humor and levity.
- Sarah Snook delivers a standout voice performance, bringing an extra level of soul to the film.
- The stop-motion work is flawless, never feeling too controlled or boring.
- Sometimes the bleakness can get a little too much.
Memoirs of a Snail screened at the 2024 Heartland International Film Festival and premieres in select theaters on October 25.
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