By Jake Bourgeois, Contributing Writer
I’ve always had a soft spot for animation. More years than not, at least a couple of animated features find their way onto my top 10 list. So, I’m setting out to shine a light on some films that may have passed you by. The idea here is to take a look at some underseen gems—so no Toy Story or Frozen here.
Let’s get started.
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It’s my favorite time of year for the column.
I get to pull up the “Academy Awards — Best Animated Features Nominees” list, sort by popularity and “not watched,” scroll to the bottom, and pick something. Though not the most “underseen” of the films I’ll cover in a given year, circling back to films 99% of people forget about after the ceremony is something I really enjoy.
This month, we’re looking at a film that isn’t even the most recognizable Netflix original in the category in its year (hello, certified modern Christmas classic Klaus): the Cannes award-winning I Lost My Body.
Produced by Xilam Animation, whose next most popular project, Twilight of the Gods, is another Netflix collab, I Lost My Body is by far the most well-known project. Like many other European indie projects, the rest of this French film’s production houses are a mix of players in European cinema, including producers of projects like Anatomy of a Falland Benedetta. I probably sound like a broken record at this point, but what I love about these European entries is that they put the “art” in arthouse productions. The art of animation comes through on screen. You can see the strokes of a brush or a pencil and that just adds a bit of texture. The uniqueness of the narrative is also something I appreciate, as they’re usually about something very much outside the normal offerings and exploring something that’s benefited by doing so in the animated form. (More on that later.) It uses the visuals, especially when it’s limited in terms of dialogue during the and sequences, and is buoyed by its Dan Levy score (Star Wars: Visions, Love, Death & Robots).
Directed and co-written by Jérémy Clapin (based on Guillaume Laurant’s novel), the feature-length effort seems to be an amalgamation of his other animated shorts, combining a love of space, a creative anatomical idea, and an out of body experience of sorts. It’s a fascinating combination of ideas that somehow manages to coalesce into a cogent idea. (OK, the whole astronaut thing is a minor plot point, but it is interesting how much it seems to pop up in his filmography.)
The film follows two intersecting stories. On one track, we follow a severed hand looking to reconnect with its body on a dangerous trek across Paris. Though we’ve seen an anthropomorphized hand done plenty of times before in various adaptations of The Addams Family, this still feels unique here, while still similarly getting across emotions through how the appendage makes its way in the world. The severed hand takes a bit of time to find its … footing, which was a small touch I found to be clever. There’s also a real Honey I Shrunk the Kids vibe to the dangers and challenges faced by the hand. That’s a technique that’s never not going to be fun when executed well like it is here. The way it’s shot, particularly in these sequences, feels very cinematic.
The other half of the story follows the hand’s owner, Naoufel (Hakim Faris), as its experiences trigger memories and chronicle his relationship with Gabrielle (Victoire Du Bois). Though the other storyline I found more engaging, the exploration of our main character’s past and present was a poignant one. The change in him brought about by this relationship, given his past struggles, was something I still found engaging and I was curious to see where it led, even if it was a little more conventional.
As we head into another award season, I Lost My Body offers an opportunity to explore the ghosts of awards seasons past and watch something truly unique. Since you’re already paying for Netflix anyway, the barrier to entry is significantly lower than some of the rest of its peers.
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I’m excited to continue to geek out on some great animated work you may not have had a chance to catch. Next month, we’ll take a look at one more unseen Best Animated Feature nominee.
You can read more from Jake Bourgeois, and follow him on Bluesky and Letterboxd