Waking Life (2001)

Genres

Animation | Drama | Fantasy

Director

Richard Linklater

Country

USA

Cast

Wiley Wiggins, Eamonn Healy, Timothy Levitch, Adam Goldberg, Nicky Katt, Steven Soderberg, Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Steven Prince, Caveh Zahedi, Otto Hofmann, Richard Linklater, Alex Jones, Kim Krizan, Louis H. Mackey, David Sosa, Robert C. Solomon, Steve Brudniak

Storyline

A man (Wiley Wiggins) walks through what may be a dream, meeting various people and discussing the meanings and purposes of the universe.

Opinion

I love Richard Linklater. I believe he is one of the few, if not the only director capable of crafting a fantastic film without having a real plot, and that's what I like the most about it. And "Waking Life" is no different from his other works. It is indeed another plotless but thought-provoking film.

Like I said, this film has no plot, there are just random events happening over a few days - or maybe it's just a dream - in the life of the main character, the reason why the film is so interesting. It isn't the character itself - we actually don't even get to know the guy very well - but the things he does and says, and the people he interacts with that make the film deep and philosophical.

I am no expert in philosophy, but I don't think it takes one to see how beautifully Linklater integrated into the film issues of philosophy, science, dream and death. And it's in a quite fascinating way that he tells us what it means to be alive, and in a very brutal but honest way he poses and tries the answer to a very important question: are we sleep-walking through our waking state or are we wake-walking through our dreams?

Although I say "Waking Life" is just like any other Linklater film, it's not true. It is an animated film which makes it even more fascinating, especially because the film was first shot with actors and then transformed into a kind of post-modern painting animation. Simply brilliant.

However, what I liked the most about this film was the scene featuring Jesse and Céline, played by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, because they are the main characters of the best romantic trilogy ever made, Linklater's Before trilogy.

Chico & Rita (2010)

Genres

Animation | Drama | Music | Romance

Directors

Fernando Trueba | Javier Mariscal | Tono Errando

Countries

Spain | UK

Voice Cast

Limara Meneses, Eman Xor Oña, Mario Guerra, Bebo Valdés, Idania Valdés, Estrella Morente, Freddie Cole, Jimmy Heath, Pedrito Martinez, Michael Philip Mossman, Amadito Valdés, German Velazco, Yaroldi Abreu

Storyline

Now old and retired, Cuban pianist Chico (Eman Xor Oña) remembers his turbulent love story with jazz singer Rita (Limara Meneses) and his rise and fall as a musician.

Opinion

I didn't care much for "Chico & Rita" when it came out; nor did I when it was nominated for Best Animated Picture at the Oscars. Month ago, though, I saw a few frames and I was immediately seduced by the different animation and I added to my watchlist. I have to say that it took me a while to check it out but it was totally worth it. The film was indeed an excellent, artistic and charming animated film. Don't let your kids watch it, it's meant for adults.

That being said, let's talk about the story, a simple yet believable, fascinating and involving story dealing with racism, prostitution, murder, regret, hope, music and love. The latter two are the main focus of the film and the film's greatest strengths.

There isn't only one kind of love involved. There's love of music, love of country, love of fame, and then the love of someone else. There's a good balance among them, but the turbulent love story between Chico and Rita is definitely the one standing out. It is both outdated and refreshing; it isn't anything new and quite clichéd but it's beautifully told.

There isn't much character development - the characters are actually barely a sketch -, still you're going to care for them because you can feel they are meant for each other.

As I mentioned before, the music plays a very important role in the film. It is beautifully blended into the story and it adds passion to it. So the beautiful soundtrack isn't only a tribute to Cuban music but really adds to the movie.

One of the most astonishing aspects of "Chico & Rita" is the animation, the reason I watched the film. Forget about 3D animation and CGI, there's none of that here. Instead, the animation - I should probably say draws - is hand-drawn and quite simple, yet beautiful. The characters are old school, made of areas of uniform colours with darker sections for the shades. The backgrounds are incredibly detailed. The colours are so vivid. And all together they portray Cuba in a stunning, stylish way.

The Red Turtle (2016)

Original Titles

La Tourte Rouge レッドタートル ある島の物語

Genres

Animation | Fantasy

Director

Michaël Dudok de Wit

Countries

France | Belgium | Japan

Storyline

A nameless castaway attempts to leave a desert island but a red turtle stops him.

Opinion

In times when 3D animation is a must - or at least that's why Hollywood is trying to say -, Studio Ghibli yet again amazes the entire world with "The Red Turtle", a spectacular 2D animated film that touches more serious, mature themes than usual and therefore ends up being more of an adult film than one for kids.

With a dialogue-less story - because this is the kind of story that doesn't need words - about nature and human beings being part of it, the film magically blends reality and fantasy and beautifully captures the life stages of a castaway - he could be each one of us, though. And the ending, oh my, it is so poetic and moving; it also gives the film so much more meaning - showing that humans always look for a reason to do something - and it's the reason why everyone should give this film a try.

The other (obviously) outstanding aspect of the film is the animation. Some may argue it is too minimalist, too repetitive and lacking in action; I saw a great mixture between European and Japanese styles. Dodok de Wit does not fill his film dazzling special effects and that's why the film works so well. The animation, especially the character movements and settings, are so realistic it will blow you away. The colours are also wonderful.

However, "The Red Turtle" isn't perfect. The director is known for his short animations and maybe he should have kept doing that. What I'm trying to say is that the story doesn't feel written for a feature film, and sitting through the film for 80 minutes feels a bit tedious at times. 

Anyway, if you are a fan of Studio Ghibli, or survival movies, this makes for a great watch.