Memoir of a Snail is a stop-motion film directed by Adam Elliot that tells a deeply sad story about a young girl whose life is wrought with misfortune. Following the journey of Grace Prudel (voiced by Sarah Snook), a young woman tells the story of her life to her favourite snail, Sylvia. The film explores Grace’s experience with loss, loneliness, anxiety, and the search for meaning.
The story unfolds with one tragic event after another, but what really sets Grace’s path in motion is the death of her mother. Her father experiences a tragic accident and he becomes an alcoholic, leaving Grace and her brother Gilbert (Kodi, Smit-Mcphee) to fend for themselves. Together they are happy and he is her brave protector with dreams of becoming a street performer. They find a way to enjoy their childhood together until they are separated by child services.
Honestly, this film broke my heart and I’m not sure if I would recommend it to anyone. I understand that Elliot wanted the film to be a slow burn so that we could experience Grace’s struggles with her, but it was too slow and too painful. The hits just kept coming and although Grace keeps a positive attitude for the most part, watching this child and then, adult, was too much for me. I don’t feel the film left a lot of room to breathe and process with the audience.
The other thing that pulled me out of the experience was how unnecessarily sexual this movie was- I don’t think this movie is for kids but I’m sure some families would watch it with their young ones. Perhaps the inclusion of these stomach-turning scenes is a reflection of Australian humour, but for me, it was unsettling.
What does make the film special, however, is its use of claymation. The film is meticulously handcrafted; each puppet and set has been sculpted with the skill that only stop motion can achieve. The detail in each character’s expression is exceptional; your emotions are fully tethered to the outcome of each character because of how these puppets have been designed to act with their faces.
Ultimately, Elliot’s attempt to blend tragedy with humour fell flat for me. And the hyper-sexual tone of some scenes undermined the story.
Memoir of a Snail is now in limited theatres in Canada.
