My Life as a Zucchini (2017)

Cried all the way through, it's a really beautiful and understated movie that's so lovable.

Icare or as he prefers, Zucchini, lives with his drunken single mother. He accidentally kills his mom and is sent to a children's home. Police officer Raymond befriends him. Simon bullies him but becomes a good friend. New girl Camille arrives and he falls for her. This is an European stop-motion animated film. It has an unusual intriguing look. The character designs have a beautiful ugliness. My only drawback is its shorter running time. There is something odd about this inbetween length and leaves me missing something. I do like Simon's turn especially. Initially, he is a full-on bully but he turns into one of the most compelling character in the movie. The story has some real heart. This is an Oscar nominated animation.

Stop motion that's not from the stables of Laika or Aardman, it's apparently possible. 'Ma Vie de Courgette' is a stop motion and claymation animation film by relative newcomer Claude Barras. Who works his ass off to impress you.In just 66 minutes you are bombarded by an array of intense themes and imagery: emerging sexuality, the longing for parental love, the mourning process, innocence and youth. And... it takes place in an orphanage, of course. In that respect, it is more akin to a Japanese anime than to the average 'Chicken Run'. Intense, especially considering the target audience of this little film. Fortunately, there is enough room for laughter, something that makes it all feel more real and at the same time more easier to digest.The plot - a young boy called Courgette (but not really) enters an orphanage and falls in love, gets bullied, makes friends, etc. - is serviceable but cannot cope with the amount of themes and life lessons with which it is juggling. The short runtime forces the otherwise interesting story into a confused mismatch of moments without much cohesion nor natural progression. For once, there is a simple but true explanation for its shortcomings: the budget. Which is about 10 times lower than contemporary stop motion movie 'Kubo and the Two Strings'. A shame.Give 'Ma Vie de Courgette' some more room to breathe and it could have become a cult classic. Now it feels as if it were a rather successful Cartoon Network experiment. Nevertheless, this is not at all a bad movie. On the contrary, it's a bold debut movie chock full of charm from a man with clear potential. I look forward to his next project, although Iit will have to be something without those infinitely annoying Tim Burtonesque eyes.★★★

My Life as a Zucchini was nominated for Best Feature Film at the 89th Academy Awards. And for a 70 minute feature, that says a lot. This French-Swiss stop-motion animation film takes on a mature content but never fails to keep its child-like tone and to an extent, its innocence.It follows the story of Icare (but prefers to be called Zucchini), who lives with his alcoholic mother. After an accident, Zucchini has been sent to an orphanage by a policeman named Raymond. Zucchini's start at the orphanage is rough—thanks to the Simon, the bully. From there on, we are immersed into Zucchini's adventures as he learns of friendship, of family and of love.This animated film ravel with its wonderful visuals that reminds us of the days when its was toys over tablets. In a way, this serves as a nostalgic treat for teenagers. Almost every scene carries a powerful meaning. But its greatest feat is looking at the lives of these children through a different lens—they are all abandoned, damaged or broken. One has her mom deported, the other has his father jailed— these are all mature themes but nevertheless, real.But despite all that, Zucchini and his crew are all still children. They play, they dance, they sing. The film never stops to carry this child-like tone. The colorful aesthetics are impactful and an array of vibrancy spreads across the screen. It is a brave film that looks at life at an emotional depth. It's an eye-opening experience.