Why I Love the Red Turtle

(La Tortue Rouge)

'The Red Turtle' is a beautiful and very emotional film. The score was lovely and the theme pulls you in on a deeper level than you have probably experienced before. The composer speaks for every character and even the little sand crabs have their moments throughout the story. The human characters do use their voices, but there is no dialogue. I promise you won't miss it because it is completely u...nnecessary. This is a score I'd like to add to my collection.

Visually, it is like a gifted artist painting watercolors before your eyes. The colors dance across the screen swirling around and inviting you into the canvas. It is soft and elegant even during the storms on the island. All of the animals are quite detailed, but you will notice that the faces of the human characters are more of a blank slate. It allows you to become the characters and empathize with them in their love, loss, joy, and fear.

The story is a classic tale of a shipwrecked man trying to escape his fate. He gradually accepts his life on the island and has a family. In the final scene the audience is left with the idea that perhaps his wife and son were figments of his imagination to cope with being alone one the island. He truly embraces his new life and becomes enraptured by nature herself.

The animators did a very nice job of showing the passage of time, allowing the characters to age gracefully. You feel the ebb and flow of life throughout the film. It's slow, allowing the man to become frustrated with his lack of progress in escaping the island and then picks up the tempo as their son grows up. As the couple moves into their elder years the tempo gradually dies only to pick up again as the rhythm of life moves on.

Try not to miss this one on the big screen. It is perfect for the family, I have no age recommendations this time, or date night. As the credits begin to roll you'll remember to breathe, but take a moment to appreciate the beauty of a story with no words.

Some quick facts about 'The Red Turtle:' there is no dialogue, it is the first Ghibli film that was not made in Japan, and it has been nominated for the Best Feature Animation Oscar.