The 41st Hong Kong International Film Festival drew to a close
a week ago but visual reminders of it remain in the city :)
The Red Turtle (France-Belgium-Japan, 2016)
- Screening as part of the HKIFF's Animation Unlimited program
- Michael Dudok de Wit, director and scriptwriter
There
were a few children in the audience at the Hong Kong International Film
Festival's sole screening of this animated work but I wouldn't be
surprised if their parents enjoyed the movie more than them. Slow paced
and pretty much dialogue-less, The Red Turtle also is on the
philosophical side, depicting as it does the milestones in the life of a
castaway on a tropical island with way more crabs, green vegetation and
rocky surfaces as it does human beings, their structures and
constructions. Oh, and its many night scenes are largely black and
white, with very few elements in the movie being red and colorful
besides its titular turtle.
London-based
Dutch director Michael Dudok de Wit's maiden feature-length offering
begins with scenes involving a nameless man being tossed about by huge
waves in a turbulent sea on a dark and stormy night. Perhaps because of
my awareness of its Japanese connection (thanks to Studio Ghibli's
iconic O-Totoro appearing on screen at the start of the Oscar-nominated movie, for The Red Turtle is actually the studio's first international co-production), I got to thinking of Katsushika Hokusai's famous Great Wave and also the powerful anthropomorphic waves that feature in Hayao Miyazaki's Ponyo, On the Cliff by the Sea when viewing the beautifully as well as dramatically rendered waves that prominently feature in the movie's early segment.
Miraculously,
the man doesn't drown but, instead, wakes up on the sandy beach of a
desert island that's quite a bit bigger than those which often get
rendered in jokey cartoon strips (and almost distractingly reminded me
of Hong Kong's larger but at least as equally rocky Po Toi).
Actually admirably resourceful, he thrice builds a raft and bids to
sail away from the island, only to be thwarted by what he eventually
discovers to be an enormous sea turtle.
Soon
after his third escape attempt, the red turtle pays a visit to the
island that the man is stranded on and he sees his chance to take his
revenge against the sea creature. At first, all goes as planned but
then he becomes overcome by guilt at having harmed the turtle and
something magical happens that makes him feel up for looking upon the
island -- which turns out to be a veritable Eden, where he is adequately
supplied with food, drink and others of his needs -- as a happy home
rather than bleak and lonely prison.
Its
minimalist storyline is matched by a spare visual style that makes the
human figures in the film seem on the simplistic side. At the same time
though, quite a bit of care looked to have been spent on illustrating
the background scenery (which one has quite a bit of time to focus on as
well as gaze at for much of the movie due to its measured pacing).
Also, there's little doubt that this primarily hand-drawn offering was
produced by people who love nature and are eminently aware of its rich
bounty but also its vastness and at times scarily temperamental
quality.
For those who're wondering: it's in the appreciation of nature where The Red Turtle feels most like a Studio Ghibli movie more so than its animation style. Also, it's worth noting that
the Studio Ghibli members helmer Michael Dudok de Wit identified as
having been the most involved in the production of this film are
Isao Takahata (credited as the artistic producer as well as "regular"
producer) and Toshio Suzuki (who also has producer credits for this
work) rather than Hayao Miyazaki; with Takahata's influence being quite
noticeable too in the plot trajectory and the film possessing the kind
of depth that animated offerings, even full Studio Ghibli productions,
are too often insufficiently appreciated for possessing.
My rating for the film: 7.5
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