Saturday, February 26, 2011

Mini Reviews - The Illusionist

The Illusionist

A French illusionist finds himself out of work and travels to Scotland, where he meets a young woman.

As a fan of silent comedic expression films like Charlie Chaplin and especially Jacques Tati, this is very much close as seeing a Jacques Tati's film made in modern time and it is truly a gem. From I read about the production, this was essentially an unproduced script by Tati, which was a love letter to his estranged daughter and the film acts as a double statement between the end of stage entertainers and a poignant look of a father/daughter relationship. Director, Chomet, was able to get the main character to look and act like Tati and the animation are just very detailed and beautiful to look. I would come with a warning that it is a slow film with almost no dialogue, so if you're not a fan, stay away. But that is really the beauty and full realization of animation that the focus is more on the art and expression and it is such a refreshing thing to see. The amazing thing is that the film is a mix of beauty and bleakness, you really observe the slow dying change of an era for one group of people and it ends harshly, but kinda realistic. If you are a real animation lover like me, go and see this film.

4 out of 5 stars

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