Memoir of a Snail

"Memoir of a Snail" is a stop-motion animated film written and directed by Adam Elliot ("Harvie Krumpet", "Mary & Max"). Featuring the voices of Sarah Snook, Kodi Smit-McPhee, and Jacki Weaver, it is yet another poignant story about human loneliness and finding purpose in this complex world.

In the 1970s, young Grace Pudel (voiced by Sarah Snook) lives with her twin brother Gilbert (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee) and their father Percy (voiced by Dominique Pinion) in Victoria, Australia. Due to her cleft lip and unusual hobby of collecting snails, Grace is frequently bullied by the other kids at school, often necessitating Gilbert to step in and defend her. One day, Percy suddenly dies in his sleep, causing both Grace and Gilbert to be sent off to separate foster homes located several miles across the country. Grace ends up being adopted by a married couple of swingers in Canberra while Gilbert is taken in by a deeply religious family of fundamentalist Christians in Perth. Despite their geographical handicap, the twins remain in close contact by writing each other letters recounting all of their experiences living with their different adoptive families.

It is a tough world out there for many of us, especially for those who fail to fit in with mainstream society, whether because of mental illnesses or just a general inability to connect with others. Speaking from personal experience, I find that having hobbies can help alleviate your loneliness but they can also contribute to a sense of alienation from those likely to dismiss your passions as weird and ridiculous. Adam Elliot, whose claymation movies tend to focus around these related themes, are an ideal representation of the desire for outcasts to be accepted for who they are, faults and all. In Elliot's latest film "Memoir of a Snail", we are shown another touching and sometimes darkly comical look at the lives of individuals whose longing for emotional connectivity is sure to strike a chord with its intended audience.

Don't let the film's cute looking characters and clay animation fool you into thinking it is a children's movie; this is in fact an adult-oriented story that deals with the heavy-handed themes of ostracisation, depression, and a sense of belonging in this harsh and unforgiving world. As the film begins, our lead protagonist Grace sits in a graveyard narrating everything important that has happened throughout her life up until now. We see that as a child, Grace had shared quite a close bond with her twin brother Gilbert, who despite her bizarre qualities, always defended his sister against anyone who made her feel worthless. In one scene, Gilbert even breaks the finger of a bully who repeatedly harasses poor Grace for her choices in fashion, causing them to leave her alone for good.

In addition to this, it is shown that Grace has a particular affinity for snails due to their ability to withdraw from the outside into their shells, something she likens herself to doing whenever she wants to hide away from her problems. Grace's obsession with snails continues well into adulthood, and the film uses many other interesting metaphors and imagery to convey this to the audience. For instance, Grace learns that snails die after laying their eggs, which is where she notes the similarities in her mother dying shortly after giving birth to her and Gilbert. Later, when their father dies, Grace and Gilbert are soon permanently separated off into different foster homes, setting things in motion for how each of their lives are going to play out from this point forward.

Grace soon finds life in Canberra with her foster parents to be quite reasonable, despite their weekly habit of going to swingers parties and leaving her all alone at home to fend for herself. As she is in a city that prides itself on being the safest in all of Australia, you would assume that would put all of her concerns at ease, however, this is far from the truth. It quickly becomes clear that Grace no longer has Gilbert to defend her from any bullies or other problems she cannot handle on her own, causing her mental state to deteriorate even further than before. She struggles to make friends and is eventually so depressed she becomes a recluse with only her snails and pet guinea pigs to keep her company.

Meanwhile, all the way over in Perth, Gilbert has to deal with his family of extremely religious bible-thumpers, who try to shoot down his dream of becoming a fire-breathing street performer in Paris, believing it to be a job of the Devil. Nearly all of Gilbert's attempts at free thought and expression are suppressed by his adoptive mother Ruth (voiced by Magda Szubanski), a strict woman who insists he dedicate his life to constant praying and working on her apple farm. Like his sister, Gilbert is also unable to form a connection with other people, leaving him with little other choice but to acquiesce to the high demands of his adoptive family. The only thing that keeps the two siblings going is reading the letters they manage to send to one another, where they insist they will one day reunite to scatter their father's ashes where he always wanted to be dispersed - the Luna Park Big Dipper rollercoaster.

As she grows older, Grace meets and befriends Pinky (voiced by Jacki Weaver), an eccentric old lady who becomes the caring mother figure she never truly had. It is here we watch Pinky teach Grace how to appreciate the small things in life, like getting a permed-up hairdo or smoking a cigar out in the rain. Much like the snails she holds fondness for, Grace slowly but surely gains more confidence in herself thanks to Pinky's influence. In fact, she even manages to build up the courage to go on a date with a local mechanic she has feelings for, culminating in a long term relationship she has always craved.

At this point, the film begins to shift its focus away from Gilbert and primarily towards Grace, where it becomes clear that the audience is supposed to absorb all of the philosophical traits of the story. In any other case, this would come across as preachy and condescending, however, I always found myself drawn towards everything Grace and Pinky were doing together, no matter how trivial. Similar to the title characters of Adam Elliot's previous feature film "Mary & Max", this one does a great job treating its overarching themes of loneliness and insecurity in a concise, relatable manner, using dry humour and heartfelt character growth to help us empathise with somebody like Grace. As a result, this allows viewer to come to an understanding of why people like Grace and Pinky would be able to form a connection with one another in the first place.

Though his films might not be as clean cut as Aardman Animations or as large scale as Laika, there's still much to appreciate in Adam Elliot's unique stop-motion art style and sense of humour that helps set his ones apart from the others. The locations Elliot creates all have a level of grit to them, as though they actually feel lived in and reflect the era of 1970s Australia. Additionally, we also see Elliot play up the distinctly Australian quirks and eccentricities in his characters. For example, one recurring gag I loved has Pinky loudly shouting obscenities at passing motorists who either almost run her over or mock her for whatever odd activities she is currently indulging in. Also, we see Grace feeding her pet snail Sylvia some Vegemite on toast, something only an Australian would ever do within a serious context. If Aardman can be a definitive representation of British culture and Laika for American culture, then I would say that Adam Elliot's "Clayography" style successfully depicts Australian culture to a tee.

The film's voice acting is solid thanks to the performances of the cast, primarily Sarah Snook as Grace and Kodi Smit-McPhee as Gilbert. Snook, who also narrates the film, is responsible for bringing out a great deal of loveable pathos in Grace, never once leading her down a hole of despair or self pity. You can't help but want Grace to be happy no matter what curveballs life ends up throwing her way, even if that means subjecting her to one heartbreaking moment after another. Likewise, Smit-McPhee plays up the caring brother type in Gilbert, with only his sheer determination and love for his sister preventing him from giving up entirely. These twin siblings share an almost symbiotic connection with each other, as though whenever one is hurting, so is the other.

I also really liked Jacki Weaver as Pinky, Grace's first real friend who isn't a family member or an animal. Some of my favourite scenes of the whole movie involved Pinky teaching Grace her own personal tips on how to enjoy life. This is a woman who has lived through so many major historical events and interacted with all kinds of people, yet still happily finds the time to hang out with a young woman like Grace who only wants somebody to talk to. Without giving away spoilers, Pinky's significance in the story proved to be much more than I had initially expected, paving the way for a rather emotional conclusion.

As the world becomes harder for us to deal with, it is comforting to watch a film like "Memoir of a Snail" to remind us that amongst the complexities of life, there can always be a rainbow at the end of the storms we are battling through each day. Like with "Mary & Max", it teaches us the importance of embracing our flaws and accepting that some things just cannot be changed about ourselves no matter how hard we may try. Regardless of that, we can all still live happy lives with our imperfections in tow, as these fundamental flaws make up what it means to be human. It is not often we get to see a film touch on such deep philosophical themes like this, let alone one made in claymation, so for that reason alone it is well worth your time.

I rate it a solid 9/10.