The Red Turtle

[projekktor id=’26845′]

The Academy Award nominated animation The Red Turtle hits theatres this weekend. The dialogue free, folklore-esqe tale of a young man stranded on a deserted island by a giant turtle is a moving cinematic experience. It is the feature film debut of animator Michaël Dudok de Wit, who premiered the film at Cannes in the Un Certain Regard program and brought it to the Toronto International Film Festival last year.

Through the story of a man shipwrecked on a tropical island inhabited by turtles, crabs and birds, The Red Turtle recounts the milestones in the life of a human being.

“The film tells the story in both a linear and circular manner,” explains de Wit. “It uses time to relate the absence of time, like music can enhance silence. This film also speaks of the reality of death. Man has a tendency to oppose death, to fear and fight against it, and this is both healthy and natural. Yet we can simultaneously have a beautiful and intuitive understanding that we are pure life and that we don’t need to oppose death. I hope the film conveys that feeling.”

The Red Turtle is rated G. It is currently playing at the TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto.