Memoir of a Snail (2024)

IMDb plot summary: A bittersweet memoir of a melancholic woman called Grace Pudel - a hoarder of snails, romance novels, and guinea pigs.

Directed by Adam Elliot. Stars Jacki Weaver, Sarah Snook, and Charlotte Belsey.

Memoir of a Snail is an animated film about a young girl in Australia who is orphaned at a young age and separated from her twin brother. We follow her life as she struggles to make it on her own, with the loss of her family and, in a sense, loss of her self-identity constantly looming over her. The film is from the same filmmaker as Mary and Max, which was obvious even before I saw the credits -- not only in the style of animation, but also in the tonal mix of super-depressing and ultimately life-affirming story. The claymation here serves an interesting function in that it makes our character feel deeply claustrophobic. The clunky clay models of the characters seem too big for the locations there inhabiting. We see them take up space in a way that 2D animation doesn't always do, and here it contributes to the sense of the world closing in on our central character. It lends itself as well to this sense of impending doom. Even when things seem to be going pretty well, we're just waiting for the other shoe to drop, and usually it does. The film gives me a happier ending that I honestly thought it would be willing to, and I appreciate that. It was nice to allow some hopefulness to land in a film that seemed determined to leave me only devastated. It's a tough watch but I like where it lands. 

How it entered my Flickchart:

🎥 Memoir of a Snail (2024)

📊 Ranked #899/4013 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 78

beat Space Pirate Captain Harlock (#2002 → #2004)

beat Oliver Twist (#999 → #1041)

lost to Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (#499 → #500)

lost to Cats (#745 → #742)

lost to The Beauty Inside (#881 → #874)

lost to Mr. Brooks (#935 → #936)

lost to The Kid (#949 → #923)

lost to Long Day's Journey Into Night (#984 → #985)

lost to Safe (#970 → #971)

beat Take Shelter (#994 → #1007)

lost to Last Action Hero (#992 → #994)

lost to Crazy Rich Asians (held at #982)