People of all ages have grown to love the stop-motion animation movies of Nick Park, including “Chicken Run” and the “Wallace & Gromit” series. In “Memoir of a Snail” (IFC Films), Oscar-winning gay filmmaker Adam Elliot takes the genre in new, queer, and adult directions.
As she tells her pet snail Sylvia, Grace (voiced by Sarah Snook) remembers everything from her childhood, right from the start in the womb, alongside her twin brother Gilbert (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee). Born premature (not “fully-baked” as she says) with a cleft lip, Grace’s life began tragically when her mother died during childbirth. Plagued by a “smorgasbord of afflictions,” Grace found comfort in her mother’s snail-themed jewelry box, and gave Gilbert, with whom she was inseparable, the snail ring she found inside.
Raised by their father Percy (Dominique Pinon), a French former street performer, now paraplegic and alcoholic, they make the best of their situation in early 1970s Australia. But when Percy dies, the twins are sent into foster care and separated. Grace goes to Canberra to live with a childless couple, Ian and Narelle. Unfortunately for Gilbert, he moves in with religious fanatics Ruth and Owen, and their brood, on a fruit farm near Perth, where he is forced to pray four times a day. Gilbert vows to save the money he earns in the apple orchard so he can come for Grace, and they can escape to Paris.
Five years later, sadly, neither of their lives have improved, although Grace’s is slightly better than Gilbert’s. While volunteering at the library, Grace meets the amazing and elderly Pinky (Jacki Weaver), described by Grace as “a true eccentric” who smelled like “ginger and second-hand shops.” Aside from Sylvia, Pinky is Grace’s only real (and human) friend, “the jewel in the Canberra junk heap.” It’s also important to know that Pinky was terrified of Alzheimer’s and loved her garden, where she grew vegetables.
Grace and Gilbert maintain an ongoing correspondence, even as Grace, who took comfort in her snail collection, still grieved the loss of her family members. Meanwhile, Gilbert is suffering under Ruth’s cruel and watchful eyes, as she disapproves of his long-held fascination with fire and magic. However, he remains determined to stay strong, especially after he discovers Owen’s hypocrisy, as well as his blossoming sexuality and attraction to foster brother Ben.
Lonely and loveless, Grace’s life gets better when she meets and falls in love with her new neighbor Ken, a microwave oven repairman. As the date of their wedding approaches, Grace receives devastating news from Ruth about Gilbert. From there, her life begins to spiral downward, including a shocking discovery about Ken. It is only through Pinky’s nurturing that she can recover. Then Grace has the chance to do the same for Pinky as her health rapidly declines.
Elliot’s stop-motion animation work is nothing less than dazzling. The detail in every scene makes this the kind of movie that benefits from repeated viewings. Additionally, the multi-layered story, with its many thoughtful messages (including “life can only be understood backwards, but we have to live it forwards”) provides us with plenty to think about. Elliot’s imaginative imaginary world, including the surprise conclusion, may likely have viewers shedding real tears.
Rating: A-
