Time: 94 Minutes
Age Rating: M – Violence, drug references & sexual references
Cast:
Sarah Snook as Grace Pudel
Charlotte Belsey as Young Grace
Kodi Smit-McPhee as Gilbert Pudel
Mason Litsos as Young Gilbert
Jacki Weaver as Pinky
Eric Bana as James
Magda Szubanski as Ruth Appleby
Dominique Pinon as Percy Pudel
Tony Armstrong as Ken
Paul Capsis as Ian and Narelle
Bernie Clifford as Owen Appleby
Davey Thompson as Ben Appleby
Nick Cave as Bill Clarke
Director: Adam Elliot

Memoir of a Snail had my curiosity when it was nominated for best animated movie. All I knew going in was that it was a claymation movie that was apparently aimed at adults, otherwise I had no idea what I was in for. It really took me off guard how great it turned out to be, even if it isn’t exactly an easy movie to recommend to just anyone.

All the mentions of Memoir of Snail being aimed at adults were very accurate, with the upsetting subject matters and the dark places that it goes to. It is so depressing, bleak and sad that it will no doubt alienate some people, and honestly with how relentless it can be at points, I can see it being accused of being misery porn or something similar. While there are sprinkles of dark humour to offset it somewhat, the tone is very melancholic and there is a feeling of despair in much of the film. That being said, Memoir of a Snail really worked for me, and I personally found it to be very affecting. It’s a heavily emotional, devastating yet touching story about human struggle, self imprisonment and loneliness that I really connected with.

The voice cast are great and really bring their characters to life, mainly with Sarah Snook and Kodi Smit-McPhee as the lead characters. Snook particularly is fantastic, both in embodying her character and for narrating much of the film.

It is incredibly well crafted by Adam Elliot, and after watching this, I want to check out some of his previous work like Mary and Max. The animation is excellent; offputting with an unpleasant aesthetic, yet also beautiful. The production design is amazing and with such attention to detail, and the score is wonderful.

Memoir of a Snail is a bleak, melancholic, depressing yet heartfelt and beautifully animated film. It might even be my favourite animated movie from 2024.