JEANNE’S REVIEW

Oscar-winning animation auteur Adam Elliot’s second feature length film, MEMOIR OF A SNAIL, took the writer/director over eight years to complete. Clayography --- a word invented by Elliot --- is the combination of clay and biography. And that’s exactly what MEMOIR OF A SNAIL is --- a stopmotion animation story about a lonely woman, Grace Pudel (voiced by Sarah Snook), who narrates her memoir to a garden snail named Sylvia.

Often humorous, sometimes sad --- and a little nutty --- MEMOIR OF A SNAIL takes us on the journey of Grace and her twin, Gilbert (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee), as they first navigate life with their alcoholic, paraplegic father, Percy (voiced by Dominique Pinon), who also happens to be a mouth juggler. After his death, Grace and Gilbert are cruelly separated, each to their own set of foster parents.

They write to each other regularly, but there seems to be little hope that they will ever see one another again. Grace’s foster parents, Ian and Narelle (both voiced by Paul Capsis), are rarely around. They travel a lot, leaving Grace to fend for herself. Fortunately, Grace meets Pinky (voiced by Jacki Weaver), an elderly woman who acts anything but elderly. She has a true lust for life, and she takes Grace under her wing, teaching her how to appreciate whatever comes her way. It is her friendship with Pinky that sustains Grace.

Despite the arduous process of stopmotion animation and the amount of time spent making the 7000 objects needed to bring MEMOIR OF A SNAIL to life, this adult feature --- and it is definitely for adults --- is uneven in its entertainment value. Grace’s memories are, at times, overwhelmingly depressing.

The separation from Gilbert is very difficult, but it is he who endures a much worse environment in his foster home. And when Grace finally meets a man who interests her --- and returns her feelings --- it ends up to be a rather unhealthy relationship.

A tremendous amount of work went into Elliot’s 33-week shoot. Cinematographer Gerald Thompson and his team were responsible for lighting over 200 sets and assisted in taking the 135,000 photographs necessary to create MEMOIR OF A SNAIL. It’s an amazing feat, just not one I can heartily recommend.

Opinion: Wait for VOD

DAVID’S REVIEW

Australian writer/director Adam Elliot had already won an Oscar for his first stopmotion effort, HARVIE CRUMPET (2004, Best Animated Short Film). Now, some 20 years later, after eight years in the making, Elliot has completed the remarkable MEMOIR OF A SNAIL which tells the story of Grace Pudel, whose life has been a series of disappointments and loss.

Voiced by fellow Aussie Sarah Snook (from TV’s “Succession”), Grace tells her story in flashback. She becomes a hoarder of all things snail, her favorite being a common garden snail named Sylvia. But after her mother’s death at childbirth and her wheelchair-bound father’s death later, Grace and her twin brother Gilbert, (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee), are separated by Child Services and forced to live on opposite ends of the huge Australian continent.

Grace lives in despair until her friendship with octogenarian Pinky (voiced by Jacki Weaver) revives somewhat her lust for living, and hope for the future. So, Elliot’s writing encompasses both depression and optimism going forward.

MEMOIR OF A SNAIL presents stopmotion at a whole new level. The film is not strictly for laughs, and it most certainly is not intended for juvenile audiences. Indeed, its varied themes include dementia, ageing, loss of a loved one, body shaming, bullying and hoarding. But just as some of Eliot’s material is heavy with negativity, humor is used to lighten the mood.

The film spouts philosophies of life, such as don’t put yourself in a cage. Grace has done just that by her devotion to snails. However, poignancy abounds, as when Pinky holds the hands of elderly sick people who simply crave a human touch. MEMOIR OF A SNAIL also incorporates a variety of controversial subjects, like getting rid of “gayness” via an occult ritual.

Its 94-minute running time practically demands a second viewing. The amazing patience of a filmmaking crew to produce this level of animation in stopmotion is something to behold.

Opinion: See It Now!