The Red Turtle

Who said that animation was solely for children? (Clearly someone with no sense of imagination.) If anything, it can be considered an art form if done properly. But as of late, we rarely get to see the hard work the animators have contributed during this lengthy process of production.

This is why Michaël Dudok de Wit's The Red Turtle is a welcoming entry to the genre. It's one of those films that doesn't need overused pop culture references and crude humor to make it accessible to its audience; it just needs to be.

Being a mostly dialogue-free film, The Red Turtle focuses more on the sounds of the film's locale. The rustling of leaves in the wind, the ebb and flow of the ocean...it may be without actual lines but it manages to speak volumes in its near-silence.

Speaking of which, Laurent Perez del Mar's score adds so much to The Red Turtle. Going from suspenseful to adventurous to heartbreaking, the music provides much of the film's torque. It's not often that a soundtrack tells a story, even more seldom for it to work well. But it does just that here.

The Red Turtle is a beautiful piece of filmmaking. The lyrical combination of its elements leads to something unlike any other. It's truly a transcendent work of art. (Suffice to say that this genre is far from being one foot in the grave.)

My Rating: *****