Memoir of a Snail
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ out of 5
Australian animator and Oscar winner Adam Elliott has finally returned to the big screen after his 2009 masterpiece Mary & Max to deliver another stop-motion masterwork. During a Q&A screening at the Melbourne International Film Festival, Elliot shared that the production was economical and efficient, made on a $7 million budget in beautiful beiges and browns from your local hardware store. It’s a humble domestic affair, but it never feels limited by its resources.
Memoir of a Snail is a bittersweet chronicle of a melancholic woman named Grace Pudel (Sarah Snook) - a hoarder of snails, romance novels, and guinea pigs – her three sources of joy. As a child, she and her twin brother Gilbert (Kodi Smit-McPhee) survive a modest existence with their paraplegic father, a has-been performer gripped by alcoholism and grief after their mother’s death. When he, too, passes away, the siblings are split up by child services: Grace is sent to Canberra and Gilbert to a family of religious fundamentalists in Perth. Isolated and depressed, Grace retreats behind her own shell – much like her snails – and fills her emotional void through compulsive hoarding. That is until she finds a fourth source of joy: a friendship with an outrageous octogenarian named Pinky (Jacki Weaver).
Personal, profound, and powerful, Memoir of a Snail is a beloved idiosyncratic stop-motion story that’s delightful albeit darkly character-driven and deeply emotional in its assuredly Australian atmosphere, filled with tragedy, comedy, and plenty of heart and humour to endear and entertain adult audiences. With his unique brand of dark humour filled with light glimmers of hope, Elliot can break your heart and remake it numerous times as we follow the saga of Grace and her snails.
This stop-motion gem is uniquely bogan, kitsch, and deeply rooted in Australia without ever feeling inaccessible, overblown or satirical. By pairing a robust character-focused narrative with such a distinct temporal and geographical setting, the film feels both natural and authentic, yet transcendent and unique. With great stop-motion animation, brilliantly observant and resonant writing and earnest voice work, Memoir of a Snail delivers one of the best-animated films of 2024. It stands as a testament to the talent of the Australian film industry and the underrated art of stop-motion as a means to tell deeply compelling stories.
Reel Dialogue: Where do we find joy?
Proverbs 17:22 “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”
Grace finds joy in three major things – her snails, her romance novels, and her guinea pigs after she and her brother are separated. She finds a temporary joy in her short-lived marriage to Ken, but this connection doesn’t last. But she finds a deeper joy in her friendship with Pinky. Even when Pinky dies, Grace is still able feel joyful as she reflects on Pinky and carries those memories with her as an ever-present pick-me-up.
We all want to find and experience joy. Most of our joy, like Grace’s comes from either material interests or relationships. But these things do eventually fade away, break or stop working. But the Bible teaches of an everlasting joy – a joy that never ends. It comes from knowing Jesus. Have you experienced the joy of knowing Jesus?
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