Simply A Masterpiece

i must have seen a different film!!

From my favorite movies..

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

Ok, look, maybe dreamy scenes of languid foreplay between a lady and a fish-being are now mainstream enough to get best picture, but this is the animation category we're talking about - they never let the weird ones win that. This had no chance against something as mainstream as Zootopia. They try to keep the picks geared largely towards children (which means that alcoholism and manslaughter are still on the table, as evidenced by the first 20 minutes of fellow nominee My Life As A Courgette), so the fact that this broke through the lego brick floor and got the nod really vouches for its quality.Not that there's any adult content here. That's lacking, along with dialogue, or any dramatic tension in the overall story arc. But if your eight year old has the patience to sit through this, you probably did something right as a parent. If this was the kind of thing kids were used to watching all the time, our society would be a more thoughtful, humane place. Don't worry, it's not preachy - it's just a simple fairy tale, and like all good fairy tales, it invites a spectrum of interpretations. (People's interpretations of films like this can reveal quite a bit about their character, as evidenced by some of the other reviews.) It's also gorgeously animated, so watch it for that, if nothing else.

Guess I maybe should've given this maybe a 9 or a 8 or a 7 stars, no less. Just so you don't get to hyped up about what to expect. But it really is a beautiful something. It is something you have to be in the mood for. At least that counts for me. But I am happy to have watched it. Was really amazed. Even though I do like animation (not all) this was a style I had not seen much. But again, really nice. Words aren't enough. Love how true to nature the drawing is. Loved the story too, something to maybe watch again someday to get a full grip on what they wanted to show. Though it is simply just a real nice story in the first place. So yeah, points extra for the amazing artwork and lovingly story. Gave it a 10! And actually, I think it really does deserve the whole 10.

I've not seen many films that have little to no dialogue, and immediately this reminded me of 'All Is Lost'. An international co-production between Wild Bunch and Studio Ghibli, this is simply a story of a man stranded on a remote luscious island where he must be forced to survive. Well...at first it seemed like that. Then he encounters the titular red turtle, survival has now turned into an intimate sublime view on life and death. It's hard not to appreciate a film that attempts to push boundaries, to use the medium as a means of art as opposed to mindless entertainment. The Red Turtle is just that. Art. Absolutely gorgeous animation, truly superb. The detail in the landscape and characters is rather minimalistic, but it's the colour palette and effortless blend of the greyscale pigmentation that elevates this cinematic piece to an exceedingly high level. As with many contemporary artsy films, the story itself is fuelled by metaphors. The subtext that lurks beneath the colourful surface. I'm sure you could interpret this in various ways, from the religious "Adam & Eve" connotations to the neglect of wildlife. I personally viewed this as the latter. A pivotal scene where the red turtle is washed ashore, our silent character does something. It evoked feelings of shock and disappointment but it was conveyed as a microcosm for society and how we treat wildlife. I'm still trying to work out the symbolism of the turtles but the beauty of such a short rapid film is that I can easily watch it again. The lack of dialogue doesn't deter from connecting with the story, in fact the characters had personalities. Sure they were simple, however it was well presented. Even the island itself felt like it had a personality of its own, especially with the wide variety of wildlife that reside there. The musical score was also breathtakingly beautiful, gave me goosebumps. All in all, The Red Turtle was a visual treat boosted by a mature metaphorical story to keep you intrigued.

A fascinating exploration into how the viewer can keep wondering what will happen next, only to be surprised by the truth that there is nothing. Don't be fooled by all the hype - this is the emperor's new clothes. For the first 10 minutes I was impressed by the artwork. The animation is delightful and stylistic. It's a fascinating film up to the point the protagonist takes revenge on the turtle. That's about 20 minutes in. The remaining 50 minutes is best described as tripe. I am sure people will wax on about how brave and challenging the film is, but the only challenges here are 1. reaching the end and 2. trying not to feel angry at the criminal theft of your time.