Slocum et moi
In his last film, French animation veteran Jean-François Laguionie recalls memories of his father, who, in the 1950s, wanted to rebuild the boat with which Joshua Slocum became the first person to sail solo around the world.
On the banks of the Marne, in post-war France, eleven-year-old François leads a sheltered life with his parents in a suburb of Paris. While he shares a close bond with his mother, his taciturn father remains an enigma. One day, to his amazement, François sees his parents building a boat in their small back garden. He soon discovers that his father is captivated by the adventures of Joshua Slocum.
As the years pass, and both François’s personal development and the construction of the boat progress, the boy begins to relive Slocum’s voyages in his dreams. Gradually, his relationship with his father also begins to improve.
Slocum Et Moi is a tender, poetic animation film, based on the childhood memories of director Jean-François Laguionie (Louise En Hiver), who bids farewell to the world of cinema with this work. With his signature charcoal-style animation and the dreamy score by Pascal Le Pennec, Laguionie crafts a heartfelt, summery film about a silent father and a boy dreaming of adventures at sea.