The Best Animated Films of the Last Decade, Part 1
It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of animation, especially on a global front. I love watching how each nation approaches the medium and what kinds of stories they want to tell with it. I also think it’s a shame that animation is still plagued with a plethora of annoying stigmas, from that of an intended audience of children to the idea that animation is a genre to the suggestion that it offers a somehow lesser performance by virtue of not being real. Obviously none of that is true: animation is intended for whatever audience the filmmaker envisions which might be general but could also be awfully mature; animation is not a genre, it’s a stylistic and creative choice used to explore different nuances and possibilities of existing genres; and while none of the characters in an animated film may be “physical”, that doesn’t stop them from having real human emotions or delivering real human performances, because they are ultimately made and directed by real humans. If anything, creating a solid performance from the illusion of life is harder than live action, requiring not just an invested understanding of the emotions at stake but also a keen enough eye and steady enough grip to craft it from nothing.
It’s also no secret that these are tumultuous times we’re living through. Man is a social creature, we thrive off the connection of others, and to be forced to isolate is difficult; thank goodness the internet exists. Still, in such times, one thing I don’t know that we recognize enough is how much artists give to this world. Among the things we haven’t lost are films, games, books, and most manners of storytelling that artists have been crafting for thousands of years. I’m glad that for now at least we might have a chance to appreciate them. I originally had planned to write this one a little closer to the start of the decade but found myself a bit too occupied with my job. Needless to say, that roadblock has been removed, along with most of the road. Everything’s equally bumpy now.
The following collection is huge. Like, too huge for one article. We’re talking “top 20 animated films for an entire decade (2010-2019), plus a whole bunch of films that didn’t quite make it but are still good” huge. We’re talking in the neighborhood of about 35-40 films, so if you’re running out of things to watch during this quarantine period, hopefully I’ve got you a little covered. It’s my hope that in these trying times, we can still open an opportunity to see something inspiring.
On a more jovial note, this list is also slightly torturous for me because 2009 was just THE BEST YEAR for animation, forcing me to eject such incredible works as Coraline, Up, The Secret of Kells, Princess and the Frog, Redline, Summer Wars and Fantastic Mr. Fox just to name a few.
Finally in regards to the stigmas of animation, I do feel that the majority of movie trailers for animated films are often wrongly toned and not terribly indicative of what these films are all about. If something looks especially childish, there’s a better than average chance that it’s not.
Let’s start with a chunk of films that didn’t make it:
Long Way North
Long Way North is the story of Sasha, a headstrong young girl who ventures out on an expedition to find the Davai, a Russian ship that was last seen heading for the North Pole. Though many thought the ship to be lost, notes from the ship’s primary explorer (who is also Sasha’s grandfather) show the intention of a route that was never properly checked. So Sasha sets forth with the hope of finding the Davai and her grandfather in the far north.
I definitely file this in the category of “films no one has heard of but I’m not surprised”, and that’s a real shame since Long Way North has enough intrigue and solid presentation to rival many of its contemporaries. While the actual structure of the film isn’t significantly unusual, the premise and particulars of the journey feel rather unique and its cast pulls plenty of legwork to keep things interesting. Despite being almost entirely grounded in reality, animation provides a stronger sense of style and energy to the story. Still, when thinking of a way to categorize Long Way North against other films, I would say that it’s main negative quality is a lack of any truly excellent ones. Everything in this film is good or very good, but no aspect really shines through. Still, it’s a wonderful little watch that I’d recommend all the same.
Locations: Youtube, Amazon, Physical Media
Frozen
It's really funny to see how polarizing this movie has been with its truly vast audience; everyone I've met has either had a hot or cold reaction, rarely a tepid one. Personally, I quite enjoy it. I appreciated how much it subverted the traditional Disney formula while also subsequently playing by its rules, and I think the movie manages to make a statement about that legacy storytelling while also creating something fresh, loaded with charm and musically gifted (yes, “Let it Go” is fantastic, just perhaps a bit overplayed). Still, despite my general affection for the film, I absolutely cannot stand how the storytellers arranged the third act, and while I think the deconstructive process worked quite well for Frozen I’ve also been woefully disappointed that “deconstruction” would go on to become the common trend of almost every Disney movie for the next 7 years thanks to Frozen’s success.
Now, I wasn’t an enormous fan of Frozen 2 — it was fine, had another excellent arrangement of music and some cool ideas, but felt ultimately kind of pointless as a story — but I do still think even now Frozen is a film that deserves all the fanfare it has gotten…and at least some of its criticism.
Locations: Disney+, Youtube, Amazon, Physical Media
The Boxtrolls
Laika is a name you’re going to see arguably in excess over the next couple articles. I’m not ashamed to say that I have a particular soft spot for a company that fully dedicates to the craft with no expectation of monetary return, continues to push and innovate on the largely abandoned art of stop-motion, and focuses on stories that are by all accounts bizarre, unusual and especially novel. In my opinion, they are one of the best new animation companies of the 21’st century, and they’re only going to continue improving. And even though The Boxtrolls is probably one of their weaker entries, it’s still stacked to the brim.
The Boxtrolls is the film adaptation of children’s novel Here Be Monsters! about a boy raised by “boxtrolls” — trash-collecting trolls with a knack for invention that wear cardboard boxes — who tries to protect his home from a pest exterminator. The whole story takes place in the cobblestone city of Cheesebridge, which operates as the major setpiece for the film as much of it feels and functions like an isolated ecosystem with which the film’s themes swirl around. There’s a lot of “young audience considered” conversation here about class warfare; while the technical villain of the film is Archibald Snatcher, pest exterminator, his only motivation for effectively wiping out the “lowest class” is the promised reward of a white hat, the status symbol of the city’s highest class, and to be able to take part in their aristocratic practice of cheese tasting (again, young audience considered). Still, despite its silliness, this film is enriched with charm and delightful visual design, and a language that feels wonderfully faux-fancy, like everyone’s pretending for the personal sake of elevation. And while I do hold that it’s one of the weaker Laika films, it might be one of their most impressive from the perspective of set design and overall color. Much like Missing Link, the story at work here is excellently unusual and bold, and I absolutely cherish it.
Locations: Youtube, Amazon, Physical Media
Missing Link
To quote my Top 10 films of 2019 article:
Missing Link came in and blew me away with its surprising wit, wonderful characters, and some of the best animation I’ve seen all year. It’s also a rather daring story given its esoteric subject matter and intended audience, with it’s traditional adventure story that carries the same energy and enthusiasm that saw such great success in works like Tintin and Indiana Jones, but with enough modern sense to realize the more problematic elements of stories framed in this colonialist visage…It speaks well of Laika that even at their worst, they’re still leagues above almost every other animation company, and I appreciate their relentless dedication to this lost art.
Not much more to be said other than yes, it is still the least impressive of the Laika films, but this is one of the only companies for whom I consider that a compliment. I’ll never not be excited to see what this company is working on, because I know they will always try in earnest to make wonderful films.
Locations: Youtube, Amazon, Physical Media
Mutafukaz — “MFKZ” in the US
To quote my Top 10 films of 2018 article:
If Mutafukaz succeeds anywhere, it’s on the visual front; design and animation offer a nice variety of simplicity for its younger characters, grit for its adults, and painfully vivid detail at every setting. As animated worlds go, Mutafukaz is easily one of the most lived in I’ve ever seen, oozing beauty in all the dirtiest places. The characters are lively and interesting and the visuals are phenomenal but the story itself is a little bit of a mess. I think there’s an clear understanding on the hand of the creative team that knows the story is a bit of a mess and plays around with that, but it does mean that the film is a little unwieldy.
Mutafukaz took me out of my comfort zone just a tad, but I’m glad it did and I hope Ankama Animation is still working on new films because they are extraordinarily talented.
Locations: Netflix, Youtube, Amazon, Physical media.
Toy Story 3 + Toy Story 4
If I could, I’d just put the entire Toy Story franchise in one bracket of honorable mentions. Every single entry has been astonishingly better than expected. Toy Story (1995) was the world’s first fully CG film and defied everyone’s expectations about the up-and-coming medium, and Toy Story 2 managed to (in my opinion) surpass the values and ideals of the original despite being in creative freefall for much of its development. For the purposes of this category, only the two most recent films have released in this 10 year gap, one at the very start (2010) and one at the very end (2019), and while I was all in for those first two movies, the one whose expectations needed to be shattered for 3 and 4 was me. Toy Story 3 came out a solid 12 years after the first, and was about Andy going to college, so I immediately assumed it would be terrible, yet it absolutely blew me away. Toy Story 4 comes out 9 years later after losing its director and framed as “a long lost love story” and I thought that also sounded like a disaster, yet it proceeded to blow me away again. I don’t know how Pixar keeps finding a way to articulate such powerful stories with a series that is severely past its prime, but I can’t help but love them for it.
Locations: Disney+, Youtube, Amazon, Physical media.
In This Corner of the World
One of art’s greatest powers is that of the time capsule, to reflect a state of life in a contained space to be seen and experienced for generations to come…even if we hate being reminded, occasionally. That’s the task though; the artist lives to remind, the audience lives to remember. We’re now at the point where there are at best a handful of survivors of WWII, and it’s fortunate that so many stories exist of this frightful period, but one thing I’ve found in a bit of excess is the story of the war itself. We need stories about what happens around and outside the war, not just to sympathize with the courageous soldiers on the front lines, but also the ordinary people that get caught in the crossfire, often powerless to their situation. In This Corner of the World is one of those stories, taking place in Hiroshima about the life of Suzu, a young woman married off to a suitor in Kure and whose entire life changes as the war reaches ever closer to her new family home. It’s a film touting a delicate balance between the beauty of life and the amazing landscapes of 40’s Japan with the horrors of constant air raids, the firebombing of Japan, and the dropping of “Little Boy” on Hiroshima.
Now, I know more than a few people that tell me they just can’t watch Grave of the Fireflies because it’s too hard to watch. I get it, I really do, but I think if we don’t bear at least some of the suffering then we may forget everything that caused it (and with Isao Takahata sadly having passed away, I think it’s more important than ever not to forget that amazing time capsule he left behind). If it makes you feel better, In This Corner of the World is decidedly easier to digest in that it remains more optimistic and occasionally whimsical throughout, and also happens to create a magnificent sense of serenity in its animation and style; I’m not only recommending it for being a hard watch, but also because it’s a great movie otherwise. But, you should watch these movies, at the very least because I think someone has to.
Locations: Netflix, Youtube, Amazon, Physical Media
The Incredibles 2
This week’s final honorable mention goes to The Incredibles 2. I feel that I’ve said all I need to about this film, but I do think it’s remarkable how much I’ve come to appreciate it over time, and how much better it has gotten on repeat viewings. I really love the story at its heart, even if it doesn’t always come through as well as it needs to. Still, even though it never quite gets there, it also somehow never goes bad. For me, this film has that sort of pizza quality to it: when its bad its still good, and when its good its actually incredible.
Locations: Disney+, Youtube, Physical media, plenty of other places.
Alright, let’s start crunching out the main list. This will be a long one folks.
20 - Wreck it Ralph
It’s crazy to think that this film only came out 8 years ago, and before that the idea of making a movie about "video game culture" was almost entirely unheard of. I mean, sure, there were a handful of movies in the 90’s loosely based on various video games, but almost none of them were any good; the only ones still remembered at this point are Super Mario Bros for being an utter train wreck, and Mortal Kombat for having an amazing theme song. Prior to Wreck-It-Ralph, the closest video gaming got to any form of recognition was…The Wizard? I guess we did finally get there with Scott Pilgrim vs the World, but there was a lot more going on there and the video game ephemera was also largely second fiddle to Scott as a character and how he contextualizes his world. Anyways, fast forward to 2012 and not only were we getting an entire film about and dedicated to celebrating video game culture, but it was being helmed by Disney of all studios. I think we tend to forget that for as normalized as video game culture seems today, something like Wreck-It-Ralph was almost unthinkable only 8 years ago.
What’s even weirder than Disney deciding to go forward with this project was the fact that they somehow got it right. While the majority of Wreck-It-Ralph’s content is technically original with the arcade scene of the 80’s - early 2000’s playing as more a setting/backdrop, the structure of the film and the progression of its characters work because they feel very distinctively…well, digital. It’s a video game universe that works on video game logic and structured as a video game simulacra, while also equipping itself with a story relatively akin to the standard Disney fairy tale while also delivering a nuanced take on finding meaning in your life (how do you enjoy life when you’re “the bad guy”). And, as is often the case with Disney, there is appreciable quality and technique on display with a high attention to detail, along with some better than average color and design choices at work. I only wish the sequel wasn’t so terrible.
Locations: Disney+, Youtube, physical media, and plenty of other places.
19 - Dofus: Livre 1 - Julith
Sadly no subtitles for this one, but subbed versions of the film do exist.
Ankama is a French company responsible for the high fantasy creation “The World of Twelve”, a setting within which a majority of their games, shows and films reside. Dofus Livre 1: Julith occupies this high fantasy lore and pairs it with an epic story of love and loss and some of the finest animation/design talent in all of France. As is the case with all their other World of Twelve creations, there’s a distinct style and presence to it all that always feels so much bigger and bolder, unwilling to be subdued like much of fantasy today. It revels in its energy and strangeness. This particular film, as well as the entire Wakfu series, are built primarily off this free-flowing fantasy aesthetic, mixed with a fluidity and impact hardly rivaled by most animation studios.
And it is a truly epic adventure, as all their works tend to boast, about a powerful mage and grieving lover setting out to bring her dead husband back to this world by harvesting an entire city of souls to do it. To do so, she’ll need the power of the mystical “Dofus”, ancient dragon eggs with incredible power. The story revolves mostly around a young boy, Joris, who unbeknownst to the mage has a powerful connection to the eggs, and whose caretaker has been carefully hiding his presence. There’s a whole bunch of other stuff floating around in there, and if I’m being honest it definitely gets a little silly and ludicrous, but it all feels explosive and dangerous in the way that an epic fantasy should.
The only part that gets a little sketchy with Dofus Livre 1: Julith is one of tonal consistency. Most of the time it holds up, but there are sequences where the emotional center can be a little hard to decipher, likely a symptom of having such a wild approach to the genre. That, and the protagonists are significantly less developed then the primary villain, another tendency of Ankama throughout much of their work. Certainly this isn’t a film without flaws, some more obvious than others, but if you want a wonderfully stylized world with a fantastic sense of motion, and fluid animation so good you wonder how it's possible, take a look, go with the flow, and let yourself be amazed.
Locations: None, unfortunately. If I had one major complaint about Ankama it’s that they are supremely overprotective of their license and absolutely terrible at localization outside of France. There are fansub versions out there on the internet (this is how I saw it), and you can probably get the movie through streaming services in France, but there’s no official English release for this one which is a shame.
18 - Penguin Highway
I know it’s a bit of cop out to quote stuff I said in earlier articles, but for the movies I’ve already mentioned, my opinions haven’t changed that much. With that in mind, here’s what I said in my “Top films of 2019” article:
…I think this might’ve been the most creative film I saw all year. Penguin Highway tells the story of a clever young boy on the brink of puberty as he investigates the strange the sudden appearance of penguins in his home town. He’s a bit precocious, full of himself and horny in the way that young boys are, but he’s also full of optimism and rather clever for his age. The investigation of penguins leads him to other discoveries that by traditional measures make less and less sense in the world we live in, but in the framing of the film it works since all the observations are made, effectively, by kids. I mean, they’re definitely smart, scientific kids, but they approach the implausible with nothing but enthusiasm and the proper lack of discernment for what can and cannot be. If there’s anything this film is amazing at, it’s instilling this sense of childlike wonder and magic throughout, but taking the whole of it seriously and validating its existence. The animation is also top notch all throughout, with an ending sequence that just screams with excitement and flourish that left my jaw hanging for a solid bit… Penguin Highway remains Ishida Hiroyasu’s first take at a long form narrative, and to see him approach the medium with such clever ideas and smart writing puts him on the radar of names to look out for.
Outside of all that, I can only really amend that the sort of madcap energy Ishida Hiroyasu put forth in this movie has me really excited to see what he comes up with next.
Locations: Youtube, Amazon, Physical media
17 - L’Illusioniste
L’Illusioniste is about an out of work stage magician struggling to compete with more modern forms of entertainment (given that the time period of this film is the late 1950’s, the modern entertainment in question is stuff like rock and roll bands). In his travels to Scotland, he stumbles upon a young girl named Alice who mistakes his act for actual magic, and decides to travel with him as he tries to find work. In the mean time, the two of them share a room in a lofty guest house full of other out of work performers. The film largely focuses on the illusionist himself as he goes from job to job, somewhat unsuccessfully, all while trying to provide well for Alice in this unusual yet heartfelt “father and daughter” structure.
This film comes courtesy of Sylvain Chomet of the wonderful Triplets of Belleville and follows directly in its footsteps with a story entirely told in pantomime, and using animation to not only heavily exaggerate proportion and characteristics of this densely populated world, but also to create a precision performance out of the illusionist himself, his stumbling and awkward kindness exemplified with all the right timing. It’s also a sad story to be sure, about the role of old fashion performers and artists in an age that has long since outgrown them, and bothering to ask the question of where do they go and how do they live. In many cases, they can’t, and its heartbreaking to watch them struggle given their incredible and hard practiced talent. It’s terrible watching the illusionist have to settle with menial jobs just to get by, but its a struggle he takes willingly so long as at least one person still believes in his magic. While I did very much enjoy Triplets of Belleville, I do think L’Illusioniste was ultimately Chomet’s magnum opus.
Locations: Youtube, Amazon, Physical Media
16 - I Lost My Body
Here’s what I said in my “Top films of 2019” article:
I Lost My Body is a french film about finding yourself and reclaiming a sense of purpose in your life, and about the complex nature of relationships and the marks they leave behind…It’s hard to talk about this film in any really factual sense. Either I try to talk about the traditional slice of life content beating at the film’s heart and lose the intricacies of its more enriching moments and sobering yet sublime encounters, or I try to focus on the esoteric journey of the wandering hand and the brilliant way the filmmakers managed to uniquely capture the sensation of touch — a feat not easily accomplished in film let alone animation — even sing the praises of the lead animators who posed this hand so well you’d swear it was a person all its own, and ultimately fail to express why the film works so well in its subtler moments. Either way, I think I’d feel at a loss…I suppose instead, true to the ethos of the film, I can only recommend that you experience it yourself and discover what it means to you.
I still find the entire construction of this film to be so utterly fascinating, and wish I could talk more about the way it handles time, but this film is awkwardly in that position where providing too much insight might ruin the experience.
Locations: Netflix
15 - Mary and the Witch’s Flower
Man, a whole lot of amazing animated films sure came out in the last couple years. Here’s what I had to say in my “Top 10 films of 2018” article:
Mary and the Witch’s Flower is one of the finest animated films of the year, and is loaded with terrific energy, emotion with a wonderfully grounded protagonist and easily understood story. I found the whole thing exciting and incredibly charming…the film at hand tells an interesting story within the context of its creators as well. Studio Ponoc is a new animation studio made of former members of Studio Ghibli, arguably the most famous/important animation studio in all of Asia. For the team’s debut film, they tell a story about a mostly ordinary person suddenly being seen as the world’s most powerful magician, all unaware that there’s nothing especially remarkable about her. Yet despite being unremarkable, she goes on to do remarkable things, choosing to do so by outright rejecting the title and association she had built at the start. From a meta perspective, Mary and the Witch’s Flower, a film created by a team largely associated as “the successors to Studio Ghibli”, is a statement by that team saying that they have their own stories, their own style, and that they have every intention to set themselves apart from their legacy. Mary and the Witch’s Flower boldly claims “we’re not Studio Ghibli, and we don’t need to be. And for what its worth, I agree, this film definitely feels like a Studio Ghibli film but also feels unique in its own way, and I can’t wait to see what they do next.
Studio Ponoc has since done a short film compilation called Modest Heroes which functioned almost as an advanced demo reel of what sort of stories the company is capable of telling, and they were commissioned to make a short film for the 2020 Summer Olympics. For a studio in this level of infancy, that’s an already quite impressive acumen.
Locations: Netflix, Youtube, Amazon, Physical Media
14 - Zootopia
I'm of the opinion that creative decisions should serve a purpose in storytelling. Zootopia makes the creative decision to have all its characters represented by anthropomorphic animals, and I absolutely love how much Disney made that particular decision matter. Zootopia is a city of animals from all walks of life and celebrated as a haven for animal equality. The story focuses on a bunny named Judy Hopps, the first rabbit police officer in a work environment largely run by…well, large animals. The force doesn't really take her seriously due to her stature, but when a mystery of missing mammals turns up, Hopps puts her career on the line to prove she's got what it takes.
There's no shortage of films that use the "animals as humans" conceit: Robin Hood, Chicken Little, Sing, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Rango, etc. What bothers me is that very few of them really take advantage of that. Zootopia is a story that uses a wide variety of animal species to analyze societal issues like racism and prejudice, essentialist identity vs promethean ideals, and how radically populations are shaped by baseless fear and speculation. It’s the classic "Us vs Them" scenario as "Predator vs Prey" and it works exceptionally well. It also certainly helps that the film boasts all the other expectations of Disney Animation Studios: Excellent animation, well crafted characters, gorgeous and distinct environments, solid pacing, structured story, and excellent attention to detail every step of the way. Ultimately my only major criticism of Zootopia is one of bluntness; I like the message of acceptance and the discarding of simple societal expectations, but I don't need to be reminded about it every 5 minutes. Also I guess as mentioned with Frozen, the self referential nods from Disney are aging disgracefully. But these don’t diminish from what is still one of the best overall films of the last decade, and what still feels like a distinct and awfully effective buddy cop film. among other things.
Locations: Disney+, Youtube, Amazon, Physical Media
13 - Klaus
Here’s what I said in my “Top 10 films of 2019” article:
Klaus didn’t just meet expectations, but it set a towering bar for other Christmas films to meet. What we have here is a unique and nuanced take on the Santa Claus origin story, divorced from anything overly mystical…This film was so wonderful. On the technical side, the entire film was made with an experimental new animation technique that enables 3D shading on a 2D production, and mixed together with this team’s charm and style create a jubilant expressive work. On the story side, I was deeply impressed at how SPA studios found such a nuanced take to an otherwise overdone folklore, and using its story to remind why those legends are so magical to begin with, and it certainly helps that all the characters pop out and perfectly reflect the town they in. My initial reading was right; this movie was made from the heart by a team of people that wanted to make something wonderful.
I really don’t feel that I can add much more to this. Klaus was almost universally praised, and while I do find more failings in it over time I also find said failings to be awfully minor in the grand scheme of things. It’s just good, like really dang good, and I suspect it’ll probably make a new holiday tradition for me.
Locations: Netflix
12 - A Silent Voice
Brought to us from the exceptionally talented and well respected Kyoto Animation, A Silent Voice tells the story of a high school student trying to make amends to a deaf girl he used to bully back in middle school. Over the course of the film he bridges a connection with her and slowly finds ways to reconnect with many of the people he fell out of touch with in those formative years. Still, that’s only the surface level, obviously this slice of life drama has a lot more to say. Part of the beauty, especially in a film with so much sign language and tricky communication, lies in the struggle of its characters to get their message across.
One particular area that I feel this film especially shines in is acting choices and behavioral animation. Anyone can stage a shot of two characters talking back and forth — standing, sitting or otherwise — but life exists within the nervous twitches, the avoidance of eye contact, the stance and direction of your body, and the tone of speech. People show a wide variety of behavior when they confront one another, and what isn’t said is often as important as what is. A Silent Voice uses the limitation of speech to make motions of the hand and body all the more important, wielding the restriction less as a creative liability and more as an asset. There’s also some much harder subject matter coating the rim of this film that I really can’t talk about without spoiling it.
Needless to say, this is a fantastic drama told with a tremendous depth and through a unique stylization only animation can afford. All this from a studio that has given nothing short of some of Japan’s finest animation; they truly don’t deserve the hardships they’ve been forced to endure. This is a beautiful story about people lacking a voice in the world, desperate to be heard, and with all the impressive craft on display, it clearly shouts for all to hear.
Locations: Netflix, Youtube, Amazon, Physical Media
11 - The Red Turtle
The Red Turtle is, by all accounts extremely ambitious. It attempts the same tall order as L’Illusioniste: a feature length film told entirely in pantomime, completely animated, that also tells a fairly mature and difficult story. At least L’Illusioniste has the advantage of populated locales and a wide variety of characters with which to bounce its visuals; The Red Turtle is largely about one character stranded alone on an island, with a huge red turtle that denies him every opportunity to leave. And weirdly, it’s one of the most beautiful stories I’ve ever seen.
Co-produced by Studio Ghibli and Wild Bunch, two of the biggest names in Japanese and European animation respectively, The Red Turtle found itself no shortage of tremendous talent. Director Michael Dudok De Wit had prior to this a respectable history of short films, all very personal and individually character focused, so this film as a continuation of his ideals is a nice fit. In his hands we’re delivered a quiet and somber film about the impossible struggle of man vs nature, and the tranquility of living a simple life not as a burden but potentially as a comfort. There both is and isn’t a lot of ground to cover here, the film ultimately speaks for itself and really sinks into its story at all times. There are few grand sweeping statements here, but instead a powerful, interpersonal, almost meditative look at life away from the trappings of society.
The Red Turtle isn’t a film I can adequately express in words. I think its best to simply experience it.
Locations: Youtube, Amazon, Physical Media
And I’m afraid that’s all I have this week. Come back later and I’ll finish off the list and give you a whole bunch of extra runner-ups. We’re just getting started.
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