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2024 Australian film From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Memoir of a Snail is a 2024 Australian adult stop-motion animated tragicomedy film[1] written, produced and directed by Adam Elliot. It stars the voices of Sarah Snook, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Eric Bana, Magda Szubanski, Dominique Pinon, Tony Armstrong, Nick Cave, and Jacki Weaver.[2][3][4]
Memoir of a Snail | |
---|---|
Directed by | Adam Elliot |
Written by | Adam Elliot |
Produced by | Liz Kearney Adam Elliot |
Starring | Sarah Snook Kodi Smit-McPhee Eric Bana Magda Szubanski Dominique Pinon Tony Armstrong Jacki Weaver |
Cinematography | Gerald Thompson |
Edited by | Bill Murphy |
Music by | Elena Kats-Chernin |
Production companies | Arenamedia Snails Pace Films |
Distributed by | Madman Entertainment |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 94 minutes |
Country | Australia |
Language | English |
The film had its world premiere at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on 10 June 2024, and is scheduled to be released in Australia by Madman Entertainment on 17 October 2024.
Grace, a young girl in 1970s Australia, begins collecting snails after her mother's death. She and her twin brother Gilbert live with their father Percy, a former juggler who is now paraplegic with an alcohol use disorder. The siblings are close despite this adversity, and Gilbert defends Grace from schoolmates who tease her for her cleft lip.[5][6]
The twins are separated when their father dies in his sleep, sent to foster homes hundreds of miles away from each other. Grace moves in with a swinger couple, Ian and Narelle, in Canberra, while Gilbert is sent to a family of religious fundamentalists in Western Australia.[5][6]
Grace eventually befriends an elderly woman named Pinky, who is there for Grace as she grows up and begins to face challenges as an adult, including a short-lived marriage to a microwave mechanic. When Pinky dies, Grace brings her ashes to the vegetable garden and sets her jar of snails free.[6][7]
Memoir of a Snail was developed over an eight-year period.[7] Filming occurred in Melbourne in May 2023.[3][8] In February 2024, it was announced that Sarah Snook was cast as the lead.[2]
Memoir of a Snail premiered on 10 June 2024 at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, where it won the Cristal Award for a Feature Film.[9][10][11] The film will be released in Australia by Madman Entertainment on 17 October 2024, and in the United States by IFC Films on 25 October 2024 as a limited release, followed by a wider release in November. The film was rated R "for sexual content, nudity and some violent content" by the Motion Picture Association.[12]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 18 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.8/10.[13] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 84 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[14]
Peter Debruge of Variety commended director Adam Elliot's dedication to a "dark and surprisingly moving brand of storytelling" and praised the film's voice cast and score.[7] In Deadline, Stephanie Bunbury noted repetitive elements of the plot and dialogue but argued that these flaws underscored the film's themes of human imperfection.[6]
Award | Ceremony date | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Annecy International Animation Film Festival | 15 June 2024 | Cristal Award for a Feature Film | Memoir of a Snail | Won | [11] |
Ottawa International Animation Festival | 28 September 2024 | Grand Prize for Animated Feature | Nominated | [15] | |
Honourable Mention | |||||
Sitges Film Festival | 13 October 2024 | Best Animated Feature Film | Won | [16][17] | |
BFI London Film Festival | 20 October 2024 | Best Film | Pending | [18] | |
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