Dean Fleischer Camp and Jenny Slate’s mockumentary is one of the most lovely family films I’ve ever seen. In the hands of Disney, it probably would have been a treacly exercise in trite sentimentality, but leave it to independent filmmakers to create something pithy, poignant and rather beautiful.
Marcel (adorably voiced by Slate) is indeed a tiny mollusc in little red shoes who resides in an Airbnb with his beloved grandmother Nan Connie (Isabella Rossellini). Together, they trade barbs and watch ’60 Minutes’ on TV. The home owner Dean (Fleischer Camp himself) expresses interest in documenting their unique perspective on the world, so Marcel, a little reluctantly initially, agrees and before he knows it, he’s globally trending on the internet, and embarking on a search for missing family members.
I truly love this film. It hits the sweet spot between cynical and cute, satirical and honest. Marcel has to navigate many changes in his small life, and the mockumentary style brings real veracity to the film. It’s a unique approach to take towards film which is aimed at older kids. Indeed, the duo behind the film, who were married prior to making it, have such a singular vision that only people like Michel Gondry, Bjork, Daniel Johnston and Maurice Sendak come close: it’s one from, and for, outsiders. It’s so true, that at times ,it aches.
In lesser hands, it might have come over as insufferably wacky, but the very real themes at the core of love, illness, loss and the creative tension involved in reflecting everyday scenarios, are handled with sensitivity, wit, and great compassion. The only cliches I felt here were my tears of joy and sadness in witnessing it. It’s sure to be a future classic.
Hit The North 