A Beautifully Poignant Film
I love films like I Lost My Body. I’m a big fan of artistic pictures and the more creative and unique they are in getting their message across, the better. With music at the core of this one and some gorgeous hand-drawn animation along the way, I Lost My Body is a well-written French film that hits with a real gut-busting burst of emotion at the end when everything comes together. The film itself splits its story into two halves. The first follows the uneventful life of Naoufel, a young man who struggles to find his place in this world until he becomes infatuated by Gabrielle, a woman whom he talks to via an intercom one fateful night during a delivery. From here, the film depicts his journey to try and win her over. At the same time, a severed hand escapes from a lab and begins its arduous task crossing the perilous landscape of the bustling French streets to return to Naoufel. All of this culminates in a beautifully written and devastating finale where sound takes centre stage in a really impressive artistic showcase. Aesthetically, the film looks great too with a healthy dose of hand-drawn animation throughout. There’s a great use of colour here too which only reinforces the themes of alienation and belonging, especially during one segment where Naoufel is the only character drawn with thick, black outlines on the subway. It’s a subtle piece of artistry but one that absolutely stands out here. These little moments continue right the way through the picture too and I’m sure film buffs will be in their element breaking down every scene to find the symbolic meaning behind some of the material here. On the surface you could easily write I Lost My Body off as a weird, poignant animation that feels a little slow and relies far too heavily on its epic orchestral score. When you peel away this layer and dive into the core of this one however, this French animation has wonderfully relevant themes and a lot of reflective material to make it one of the stronger films this year. It won’t be for everyone and those looking for something a little more straight forward may be left disappointed but I Lost My Body is a beautiful and artistic film nonetheless. It’s not perfect but it does perfectly capture the essence of its themes and for that alone, this film is worth checking out. Clocking in at a little over 80 minutes, this is an easy one to digest but its powerful, emotional ending may stick with you for a while after watching this one.
