The Red Turtle
Directed by Michaël Dudok de Wit
Produced by Toshio Suzuki, Isao Takahata, Vincent Maraval, Pascal Caucheteux, Grégoire Sorlat, and Léon Perahia
Written by Michaël Dudok de Wit and Pascale Ferran
Production companies: Prima Linea Productions, Why Not Productions, Wild Bunch, Studio Ghibli, CN4 Productions, Arte France Cinéma, Belvision Corporation
Yes, this is another “behind the curve” reviews. The Red Turtle was released in 2016, and subsequently won a raft of awards, including the Oscar for best animated feature. Studio Ghibli (Grave of the Fireflies, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and most of Takahata’s and Miyazaki’s work) was the main force behind it, and this very simple and elegant movie captures the best that Japan’s most famous studio has to offer. Takahati and Toshio Suzuki bring their extraordinary talents to this production.
The film features no dialogue (and thus no cast) but depends on remarkable visuals and gorgeous artistry to tell a simple and moving tale.
A young man is stranded on a small island. While there is food and fresh water available, he builds a bamboo yacht in order to sail to an inhabited land. He barely gets beyond the reef when a mysterious force destroys the raft from beneath. He builds a sturdier raft, and it, too, is destroyed. A third effort meets a similar fate, but he learns what is attacking his craft; a large red sea turtle.
Some time later, he spots the turtle clambering up the beach. In a rage, he attacks the reptile, turning it on its back to die in the sun. He returns the next day, feeling remorseful, and attempts to revive the animal. It is dead. Dispirited, he falls asleep next to the carcase. The following morning, he wakes to find a beautiful red headed human woman in the otherwise empty shell.
The story then unfolds, tracking the highlights of their lives together over the next half century or so.
Lacking dialogue, the viewer is invited to provide interpretation. Why did the turtle destroy the rafts? Why did she climb up the beach?
As it to be expected from a Ghlibi production, the artwork is absolutely gorgeous, the animation fluid and very realistic. Between the lack of dialogue and the somewhat cartoonish faces, the viewer is led to build on the tale from body language and the lighting, which often reflects the mood.
Simple, elegant, and beautiful.