The Red Turtle

This screening took place on Sunday, March 12, 2017 at 4:00 pmYukon Arts Centre

Studio Ghibli fans can rejoice at the arrival of Michael Dudok De Wit’s sumptuous The Red Turtle, an exciting harbinger of the wonders that the animation house’s post-Miyazaki era might hold. Produced and drawn by the hands that crafted Spirited Away, De Wit’s ode to the cycle of life is a collaborative effort that is guided by sublime directorial vision. The Red Turtle feels like it has been a part of oral histories for millennia. The reference points for this wordless fable are vast and universal but ultimately it hinges on love and family. A Robinson Crusoe-like man, a speck in a large vista, swims to a remote island alone. There’s not a soul in sight but birds and turtles punctuate the sky and sand. A woman is spawned from nature’s erosion (almost as if she was being spawned from a single rib). Soon, they welcome a family to their Edenic existence. An amalgamation of ancient Eastern tales and the Genesis narrative, The Red Turtle has the scope of a Greek myth and the captivating power of a hymn. With Ghibli’s impressionistic tableaux and Dudok De Wit’s traditional influences, this tender, intimate film deserves to be seen on the big-screen. Nominated for 2017 Oscar for Best Animated Feature “This is a quiet little masterpiece of images, each one rich with meaning, that collectively speak to a universal process.”—Eric Kohn, IndieWire