'Memoir of a Snail' - Safe type of NSFW Adult Animation

Adam Elliot (2024)

This film was made by Human Beings

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I love when we get adult and mature animations that don’t fall into the NSFW category or “bloody and violent, so it’s not for kids” 2D style of animation. Or the worst kind, adult animation like Sausage Party (2016) where "fuck" is dropped every minute to get that adult rating. I’m talking about adult animation that has mature themes. One of my favourites is existential dread, Charlie Kaufman's stop motion film Anomalisa (2015), a movie that gives me a panic attack. And the titan who wears the crown of adult animation is Australia’s very own, Adam Elliot. The stop motion animator known for the Academy Award-winning short Harvie Krumpet (2003) and the brilliant Mary and Max (2009). And one short later, we get his second feature-length animation, the tragically sweet and touching Memoir of a Snail.

Memoir of a Snail - Courtesy of Madman

Like Mary and Max, Elliot takes a fascination with eccentric characters with narration from the perspective of Grace played by the tragically softly spoken, Sarah Snook, one half of a twin, talking about her life from her troubled cleft-lipped childhood to her current lonely situation, to her friend, snail, Sylvia. What Elliot excels at are characters with extremely fleshed out personas. As Grace discusses the people she’s met in their life, she goes into depth on what makes them unique. From her disabled former French street performer who loves black jelly beans and wants his ashes spread across Luna Park. Now that’s a character. And these traits aren’t just listed to be quirky, each of the traits serve a purpose and will come into play within the story later.

A timid character, her twin, Gilbert (Mason Litsos/Kodi Smit-Mcphee), is a protective hot headed fire obsessed wanna be street performer, who when after their fathers death get’s sent to a Christian apple farm cult. Aptly named the Garden of Eden Apple Farm. While Grace lives with a nudist family who eventually leaves to a colony, she befriends a lively old women, Pinky (Jacki Weaver). Named so because she lost her pinky finger dancing on a bar and accidently reaching her hand into a fan. Again, we get another character that is full of life where every detail of her past comes into play to her current self. And weather is losing a finger or finding out the secret of a thought of loved one, the film hits the themes of how you deal with your situation. Specifically focusing on dealing with loneliness. Grace goes though periods of hoarding or stealing to cope, going along side the second theme of the cages we out around ourselves. Or shells. Grace is this character who deals with so much from childhood and has kept herself back from happiness through external factors. Collecting snail objects. Wanting to lose her virginity with someone who approves of her curves. Escaping to a new smutty world through a book. But our tragic character isn't there just for us to feel sorry for. This isn't a complete misery-porn nightmare. There are legitimately sweet moments that feel earned and believable. Again, set up from what looks like one off jokes buy return with more purpose than it has the right to be.

Memoir of a Snail - Courtesy of Madman

Like his previous work, Elliot takes so much care in his character design where all of them are full of unique details that makes them fully realised. From the wrinkles on their face, to the wrinkles on their low hanging breasts, not one gram of clay is wasted. The details continue through to the Props as well. Everything has an unapologetic hand made quality to it and with the rise of tech bros and corporations trying to inject AI into art, Elliot embraces the imperfections that come out of stop motion and his characters. And I’m saying this in the nicest way possible, the characters are ugly. But it makes the writing and characterisation all the more impressive when you feel strong bond to these borderline Picasso figures.

Being a local, it's great to see an exaggerated view of Melbourne. The commission housing is a perfect stylised representation of how those buildings stand, all brown behemoths amongst reasonably modern minimalist apartments. Which goes into the Australian comedy. Dry and nonchalant. Characters with the Australian care free attitude will have bland one-liner reactions to horrific events but know that life needs to keep going. The comedic aspects of the character backstories as well feels very Australian. Pinky is one that will go on and on about her past life to the point where you don’t know what is real and what isn’t. And if you’ve ever spoken to an older Australian, you can guarantee that they’ll have their own personal story for every situation mentioned.

At first glance, you probably won’t think too much about the emotional impact this story could have on you. Like Mary & Max, I don’t think a single person out there won’t find something to relate to. And also like Mary & Max, I hope the Oscar nomination brings more people to this movie, where word of mouth can bring more attention to a phenomenal animated film.

Memoir of a Snail - Courtesy of Madman

Memoir of a Snail (2024)

Director: Adam Elliot

Writer: Adam Elliot

Stars: Jacki Weaver; Sarah Snook; Charlotte Belsey; Mason Litsos