Shadows on the Wall | Memoir of a Snail

Memoir of a Snail

Review by Rich Cline | MUST SEE

dir-scr Adam Elliot
prd Adam Elliot, Liz Kearney
voices Sarah Snook, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Jacki Weaver, Eric Bana, Magda Szubanski, Dominique Pinon, Tony Armstrong, Paul Capsis, Bernie Clifford, Charlotte Belsey, Mason Litsos, Nick Cave
release Aus 17.Oct.24,
UK Oct.24 lff, US 25.Oct.24
24/Australia 1h34

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Warm and wonderfully deranged, this stop-motion animation tells a tough story about children for a grown-up audience. Writer-director Adam Elliot packs the screen with wonderful visual details as the film's lively characters face seriously big issues. So as a woman recounts her life story to her pet snail, this resonant film explores an astonishing range of intense life situations, presented inventively using witty, expressive visuals and powerful underlying emotions.

Narrating her life story, Grace (Snook) remembers growing up as a sickly but optimistic child alongside her healthier twin brother Gilbert (Smit-McPhee), who worries. Their snail-expert mother dies in childbirth, and their father (Pinon) is a disabled alcoholic. But the three of them find joy where they can, until Dad dies and the twins are separated by social services. Grace is adopted by a family in Canberra and Gilbert across the country in Perth. Years pass, as Gilbert works on his hyper-religious new family's apple farm and Grace befriends the eccentric, life-loving Pinky (Weaver).

Each character bristles with hilariously complex personality traits. Grace develops a desire to save people if she can, while Gilbert rescues animals and becomes a vegetarian. He also loves playing with fire, dreaming of becoming a street performer like their dad. Both Grace and Gilbert go through experiences that feel crushing, but these are balanced with moments of triumph, such as when Gilbert stands up to his cruel adoptive mother Ruth (Szubanski) or when Grace meets charming lifeguard Ken (Armstrong).

But each silver lining seems to have a very dark cloud attached. Far more disturbing than the multiple deaths is the inhumane treatment Grace and Gilbert experience along the way, including Gilbert being horrifically tortured by Ruth in an attempt to "pray the gay away". Traumatised by grief and loss, Grace begins hoarding snails. Her pain is difficult to watch, but her resilience is inspiring. And where her story goes is packed with wildly creative wrinkles.

Grace sighs about the fact that life is such a stupid puzzle. Then as she begins to make some discoveries, both positive and negative, her outlook begins to shift. As Pinky reminds her, the worst cages are the ones we create around ourselves, so bravely face life head-on and set yourself free to enjoy life's small pleasures. Yes, there's a lot about this story that's heartbreaking, but it's also profoundly wonderful.

themes, language, violence, sexuality 19.Oct.24

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