Red Turtle: What’s the colour of your turtle?
Yep. The Red Turtle is produced and partially done by Studio Ghibli. Only four of their animators worked on the film, but you can feel the exact same vibe. And this made me quite excited since it is the very first Ghibli film I was able to see in the cinema.
The plot was simple and predictable, more or less, to everyone. It was another Robinson Crusoe story, rewritten. A beautiful uninhabited island and a castaway. He does exactly what you think he might.
In the beginning, we’re thrown into the sea with our protagonist and we don’t know anything about him. And this is beautiful. Because this is how we can relate to him on the instinctive level of being human. He is exactly that. Human. Our emotions and behaviours. In everything he does, we can find ourselves. The film pictures humanity and life goals we all share. The choices that determine us, but somehow some choices are exactly the same to what our ancestors or other people around us had chosen. Noone wants to be lonely, do we?
The film wakes up some philosophical questions. Leaving it, you’d rather not discuss it right away, but just drown in your thoughts. And I wonder, how much can be told without saying a word. How deep our feelings can go.
The film bases its wisdom on dreams and metaphors. There are plenty of scenes showing the wishes of the character. The manipulations in these scenes couldn’t have been done if it wasn’t an animated feature. This way we can wonder if it’s real or not. Or maybe, everything there was only a dream? Or all of it was real? It gives a touch of uncertainty.
Apart from that, it is an incredible piece of art. The landscapes were so gorgeous and soft. They seemed to be a watercolour painting animated. As in every single Ghibli film, every detail had been taken care of. I loved the gentleness of the lines. Making it in more European style, the film gave a different kind of experience. As a Ghibli fan, it was great. I love every single film I’ve watched (not all yet!), but Red Turtle was closer to our world and it didn’t have all the Japanese references that made Ghibli films more… exotic?
What stole the film, I guess, were the animals. Small crabs and birds were melting my heart. The details are what gave the film just a bit more magic. And made me love the Red Turtle even more.
Cons? There was only one. Some genius had brought a bunch of kids. I hate the fact that every single animated feature is considered for kids. It isn’t such. A kid doesn’t understand the life shown there. And, what’s more, I had to do my best to ignore their comments during the film. It was annoying at best.
Apart from that, I loved every second of this spectacle. It was this special moment in my life which changed me somehow, but I haven’t discovered how exactly. And what specifically caused it. Anyway, I was dreaming while watching.
At least these are my thoughts. I believe everyone would interpret it differently. And to be honest, I encourage everyone to do so. And share. This is a journey of life and each of us understands the concept differently. And it is beautiful, isn’t it?
