Movie: Memoir of a Snail

Watching Adam Elliot’s feature-length adult animated stop-motion movie, Memoir of a Snail, one thought comes to mind. How did he ever think that up?

While the story of a lonely individual isn’t new, some of his characters or more specifically their idiosyncrasies are.

Memoir of a Snail tells of the trials and tribulations of Grace Pudel (voiced by Sara Snook) and her twin brother Gilbert (Kodi Smit-McPhee).

Grace provides the narrative as she tells her life story to her favourite pet snail Sylvia (named after Sylvia Plath), as she sets her free. Over the next 90 minutes we learn why Grace has Sylvia and many other pet snails and why she has become a reclusive hoarder.

To say that Grace’s life has been difficult is an understatement. Her mother died in childbirth while her father Percy (Dominique Pinon), a French former animator and street juggler, is an alcoholic and also a paraplegic as a result of a car accident.

Bullied at school due to her cleft palate and suffering from ill health as a child, Gilbert is Grace’s only friend. Both love reading in their Collingwood housing commission unit (their selection of books is one of many of the movie’s quirks) while Gilbert also has a love of fire thanks to his wish to be a fire breathing performer in Paris.

Life changes for both when their father dies and they are sent to separate foster homes.

Grace goes to a childless couple in Canberra while Gilbert is sent to an apple orchard  in Western Australia.

Their foster parents are not ideal. Grace’s Ian and Narelle (both voiced by Paul Capsis) are dedicated swingers and budding nudists. Gilbert’s family, headed by Ruth (Magda Szubanski) and Owen (Bernie Clifford), have their own strict bizarre and punitive religious cult.

While Ian and Narelle do try and help Grace through numerous self-help books, seminars etc, Gilbert and the mean, uncaring Ruth clash continually.

Grace’s life picks up when she meets the free-spirited Pinky (Jackie Weaver).

To say Pinky has had an interesting life is an understatement and the two become best friends.  But even with Pinky’s friendship and letters from Gilbert, Grace is still depressed.

The arrival of a new neighbour, Ken (Tony Armstrong), signals a period of happiness, until she discovers Ken isn’t all he seems and Grace’s life spirals downhill yet again.

That spiral continues until the death of Pinky leads to an unexpected discovery which changes Grace’s life.

While Grace’s story is mostly sad and heart-wrenching, thanks to Elliot’s humour and film making skill, there are many laugh out loud moments.

Many relate to Pinky’s life including how she got her name and the loss of two husbands. Explaining why Eric Bana’s character, a judge, was sacked provides another bizarre and funny scene.

Thanks to the use of stop motion animation (or clayography as Elliot calls his style of movie making) the film can also illustrate certain behaviours, including Ian and Narelle’s swinging ways, without inhibition.

Apart from the storyline and its many quirky moments, another highlight is the voice work of the leads.  Snook leads the way bringing to life Grace’s sadness and loneliness but also her warmth and goodness.  Weaver perfectly captures Pinky’s playfulness and irreverence and the joys of a life well lived.

The look of the film is another highlight. Every prop, set, and character is a unique handmade tangible object. Hundreds of arms, eyeballs and mouths were handcrafted and then brought to life by Australia’s top stop-motion animators who spent thousands of hours in the dark, moving each character a frame at a time.

According to Elliot the film is based on his family and friends.

“I love telling stories that are infused with humour and pathos; reflections of our own everyday lives that celebrate the moments of joy with the darkness that comes with life’s challenges, ” he explains.

For over thirty years my objective has been simple; make my audiences laugh … and make them cry.”  Memoir of a Snail certainly achieves this.

Memoir of a Snail opens in cinemas around Australia on Thursday October 17.