a THE RED TURTLE musing

There is no denying that THE RED TURTLE is a beautifully animated film with amazingly composed images. I just couldn’t connect with it, as there was no dialogue, which just wasn’t for me. This movie is a fairy tale/fable which tells the story of a shipwrecked man who ends up on a deserted island. When he tries to flee on a makeshift raft, a large red turtle prevents him from leaving. He eventually kills the turtle, but it transforms into a beautiful woman and they begin a relationship. The metaphors were clear to me, the man’s journey on the island represents the phases of life, but it was hard to get through, even though it was only 80 minutes long. Maybe that frustration with paying the amount of money that I did for the length of the movie and experience in the theater affected my enjoyment of it.

I just couldn’t find anything to relate to. The story was good no matter how simple it was, and I could see what the filmmakers were going for and why this film is nominated for the Best Animated Film at the 2017 Oscars, but there was just nothing in it for me. Maybe if I saw this later in my life, I could find more meaning and truly attach to the main character, I would enjoy THE RED TURTLE more. Once the credits rolled, I could hear many of the people in my theater sniffling and staying in their seats until the credits ended. Even though the movie didn’t connect with me, the fact that it had that effect on so many people means that the filmmakers did their jobs well, and I gotta acknowledge that.

RATING: WHY DID I WATCH THIS?

(refer to my rating system here)