The Red Turtle

A shipwrecked sailor's survival on a tropical island becomes dependent on his complex relationship with a giant red turtle in this wordless animated feature, a first-ever international co-production for Japan's esteemed Studio Ghibli (makers of Spirited Away and My Neighbour Totoro). Proceeding at a meditative pace and resisting the opportunity to explain away its mysterious story developments, this long-form debut by London-based Dutch animator Michael Dudok de Wit has the timeless certainty of an old folk tale. As the solo castaway learns the hard way that he must respect his new environment, no dialogue is needed to spell out the film's reverence for the natural world, and the understanding that mankind is not its master. The course of 80 minutes brings us nail-biting drama, a touch of romance (!) and a profound engagement with the cycle of life, all rendered in an exquisite line-drawing style that's elemental in its simplicity. If all that makes it essentially art house animation, then so be it, but this beautiful, handcrafted movie is a one-of-a-kind viewing experience that will linger long in the imagination.