Memoir of a Snail
Bittersweet and hilarious stop-motion animation film about the tragic life of snail collector and book lover Grace Pudel. Winner of the top prize at the leading animation film festival in Annecy.
In Memoir Of A Snail, lonely Grace Pudel tells her life story to her favourite snail. It is a life that is a string of sad events. Grace has a close relationship with her twin brother Gilbert, but after the death of their father, they get separated. Gilbert ends up with a cruel ultra-Christian farming family, Grace with a nudist couple in Canberra. Only her bond with eccentric old woman Pinky provides a bright spot in her life.
An animation film containing references to Sylvia Plath, the philosopher Søren Kierkegaard and the French film magazine Cahiers du Cinema is something you do not often see. Memoir Of A Snail is no ordinary animation film and, because of its subject matter (mental health, loneliness, kinky sexual preferences), unsuitable for children. However, despite its heavy subject matter, Memoir Of A Snail is also a witty and optimistic film; director Adam Elliot understands the art of navigating between comedy and tragedy.
Fifteen years have passed since Elliot’s previous film (Mary & Max). His method is unchanged. Elliot works without computer animation; everything that appears on screen is handmade by a team of Australian artists. For fans of Nick Cave, the film has a nice surprise in store (mv).