Slocum and Me: An Animated Marvel (review)
A new jewel signed by the director of Louise enhiver. An autobiographical story where content and form combine majestically.
Jean-François Laguionie made his first feature film 40 years ago with Gwen, the sand book. Followed, among others, Black Mor Island, The Table, Louise in winter… So many nuggets of animation which have in common that they never seek to address this or that target but rather offer each generation a gateway to savor the stories that unfold there. The very autobiographical Slocum and me is no exception to the rule. Better yet, in 75 minutes, he manages to bring three different stories into dialogue. That of François, an 11-year-old kid who grew up on the banks of the Marne in the 1950s and learned that he was not the natural son of his parents. That of the passion of François’ father, a gruff sales representative with a big heart for Joshua Slocum, the first sailor to have completed a solo circumnavigation of the world in a sailboat at the end of the 19th century, to the point of embarking… on the construction of a replica of his 11 meter boat in his garden! And that of this Slocum, an outstanding adventurer throughout his exploit which spanned more than three years. The result turns out to be sumptuous. By the quality of the animation work where we perceive in each shot the raw line of the pencil and which plays so well with the shadows and lights. And by this way of telling the past while avoiding any stale melancholy, thanks to a writing which does not embellish anything in what constitutes the backbone of the film: the desire of a son to seek to be loved by a father who will never really find the words to express it. At 85 years old, Laguionie remains at the top.
By Jean-François Laguionie. With the voices of Elias Hauter, Gregory Gadebois, André Marcon… Duration 1h15. Released January 29, 2025