ANIMATED
LA JEUNE FILLE QUI PLEURAIT DES PERLES (The Girl Who Cried Pearls)(Canada 2025) ****
Directed by Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski
Stop-motion animation, time-consuming but worth every moment, is animation art in its purest form. In this endearing tale from Canada, in Montreal, at the dawn of the 20th century, a poor boy falls in love with a girl whose sorrow turns into pearls. He sells them to a ruthless pawnbroker, who hungers for more. Tempted by greed, the boy must choose between love and fortune. The choice could damn his soul. From the Oscar-nominated team of Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski (Madame Tutli-Putli), this meticulously crafted film is a testament to the craft mentioned with handmade puppets, mesmerizing narration by Canadian actor Colm Feore, and a haunting score by Patrick Watson. The Girl Who Cried Pearls is a timeless parable of desire, deception, and the price of innocence. It helps that one can identify with a young, innocent boy down on his luck, without fate having dished out. Watching this cautionary moral taleufold is pure delight!
PAPILLION (BUTTERFLY) (France 2024) ***½
Directed by Florence Miailhe
The 15-minute animated short begins with a man swimming the butterfly stroke in the sea. As he swims, he reminisces about his childhood to his present life as a man. All the memories are linked to water. It turns out that the man is Jewish Olympic Butterfly Stroke swimmer Alfred Nakache, who has to endure anti-semitism during the Nazi years of the War. He also loses his wife and child during the war as they are separated from him to be taken to a concentration camp. Alfred eventually remarries and has another child. The short is a bit confusing as one has to figure out what everything is all about, but this is more than made up for.
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