Animated Voices

Over the past week, I have seen quite a number of animations at a festival. Notably, in a departure from narrating principally with visually-stunning sequences- as most enjoyable animated features do, three of them stood out with their use of monologues, dialogues and third-person narrations as primary tools of narration. The three films are namely: FROM INSIDE, WALTZ WITH BASHIR and MARY AND MAX.

Technically, FROM INSIDE might be better described as "animated graphic novel with a first person perspective" rather than animation. In monologue, the protagonist was a pregnant woman traveling on a steam-engine train through nightmarish landscapes. Although the sequences are hardly 'animated', haunting scenes of a post-apocalyptic world were voice-overed by monologues that are well-written and performed. The result is an absorbing viewing experience that leaves much to think about even after the screening.

WALTZ WITH BASHIR was probably one of the most talked-about non-English features (not restricting to animation) in 2008. Certainly, the highly-acclaimed animated feature touted to be a documentary is a cinematic feast - with its visually stunning sequences, fine choice of music and the tightly written dialogues and interviews that weaved into a coherent retelling of the 1982 Israeli intrusion into Lebanon.

Despite the high production qualities, I find myself unable to engage fully with the story throughout the screening. Upon reflection after the screening, I realize that, to me, the problem with the film is that it is over narrated. The director, by peppering too heavily with monologues, dialogues and voice-overs are constantly grabbing the attention away from the mis-en-scene. Throughout the film, my senses were constantly engaged and fully occupied such that I had not been able to ponder and be evoked with emotion.

MARY AND MAX was for me the most anticipated film at the festival. And I was not to be disappointed. The story developed through the monologues of MARY and MAX in the forms of exchanged letters (which reminded me of the book "84 Charing Cross Road") with the occasional voiceover of a third person narrator. The sequences were well animated with beautiful cinematography (the use of dual monochrome settings to represent the dull and monotonous lives of Mary in Australia and Max in New York is ingenious) and adorable clay-charecter design. The monologues were accompanied by memorable scenes that accentuate the spoken words. That it was done with humor and understanding of solitude made this an unforgettable film. And with an ending that meet my definition of good drama ("Surprise Audience with the Inevitable"), it is almost a perfect film.

MARY AND MAX is a crowd pleaser and undoubtedly my festival favorite.