The Red Turtle [La tortue rouge] *** (2016) – Movie Review

Dutch director Michael Dudok de Wit’s wordless 2016 animation for adults is sweet, appealing and beautifully crafted in wonderful visuals. With Studio Ghibli very unusually co-operating with a director outside Japan, it was Oscar nominated for Best Animated Feature Film of the Year.

In de Wit’s fable, a mariner is shipwrecked alone on a small deserted tropical island of sandy beaches, and soon builds a raft and sets off to the sea. But an unknown adversary prevents him from escaping. However, then he encounters a red turtle that changes his life.

Under the circumstances, the absence of dialogue is absolutely fine, necessary in fact to avoid going the Disney route, and the film takes a lot of strength and pride in this. There is no sense of strain whatever, and instead a certain bleak purity and spare integrity. The 75-minute running time is on its side too in that respect. So the film-maker relies entirely on his visuals, his soundtrack and his ideas. And these are impressive.

I’m not sure what the Red Turtle actually is, as a character in the story or as a piece of symbolism. But we don’t need every spelled out, so just go with the flow, as usual and you will probably be OK. As we seem to be tackling life and death issues here, possibly the meaning of life, it is not a film for children, though older teenagers might brain their brains to it.

As the adverts says, it is minimalistic and transcendental just like the most beautiful Japanese fables. It is unusual to have helpful ads, but here it is.

The all-important story and screenplay are by de Wit, with Pascale Ferran co-operating on the screenplay. Six Studio Ghibli animators worked on the film.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Movie Review

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