The Reel Review
Born with a cleft palate, Grace was traumatized by a tragically sad childhood where, after her parents’ deaths, she and her twin brother were split up and sent to abusive and neglectful foster families on the opposite sides of Australia. This stop-motion animated tragicomedy from Oscar-winning, Australian writer/director Adam Elliot (Harvie Krumpet) explores the protective shell we create around ourselves in the face of incredible sadness.
Not surprisingly, the snail in Memoir of a Snail is actually Grace, her shell appearing throughout the story to symbolize the emotional shell the avid snail collector has created over the years to protect herself. Voiced by Succession’s Sarah Snook, Grace befriends a gregarious old lady, Binky, voiced by Jacki Weaver, who gives Grace important life lessons during their time together as well as from her deathbed.
Memoir of a Snail is an initially odd mix of dark humor and tragedy, one that slowly creeps up on you and in the last 20 minutes steals your heart. Elliot injects his now trademark quirky tragicomic humor and heavy reliance on narration into this very adult, R-rated tale of woe, illustrating how childhood trauma also can manifest itself in mentally unhealthy ways, among them hoarding, shoplifting and binge overeating. Prepare for lots of tears (maybe even some ugly crying), followed by a sweet ending.
REEL FACTS
• Adam Elliot is the first out gay director to win an Oscar in the Animated Short category.
• Eric Bana (A Sacrifice, Deliver Us From Evil) is the voice of the magistrate.
• Magda Szubanski, who voiced Gilbert’s homophobic foster mother Ruth, in real life is a lesbian and ardent LGBTQ+ rights activist.
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