The Red Turtle (2016)

 

When the legendary Studio Ghibli contacts you in order to make one of your projects a full-fledged film, you don't say no. Which is what happened to filmmaker Michael Dudok De Wit, who suddenly saw his idea being handled with care through Ghibli Studios and the result is a film that wil tug, pull and rend at your heartstrings, all without a single word of dialogue spoken.

A man is shipwrecked and ends up on a deserted island. He tries to leave through building a raft from bamboo, but every time he thinks he has left the island behind, something smashes his raft and he is forced to swim back to the island and start all over. He eventually learns that a giant red turtle is responsible for breaking his raft every time and when the turtle ventures on land, he is so irate he turns the creature on its back in the piping hot sun. However, after a while he regrets this decision and tries to right his wrong, but it seems as though the animal already perished.

And then, it turns into a red-haired woman. 

Talk about a switch no one saw coming.

He cares for her and they eventually fall for one another and from this point on, they try to survive on the island and raise their son. Things take another dramatic turn when a tsunami hits and it gets even harder when the son has grown up and decides he wants to leave, venturing out into the open ocean with several turtles for company. 

And when at the end the man passes away from old age, chances are you will be crying your eyes out. 

The animation is wonderful: the people are stylistically akin to drawings from Hergé (Tintin in his later iterations), but the backgrounds feel more vibrant and alive with various layers and depth strewn throughout. The music is fitting, but never too present and through it all, the expert pacing, storytelling and animation tell an emotional story while not a single word is uttered. Not one. 

It's tough to find any fault with this one, as it will grab you when you are open to such an experience. You will not be left emotionless, not even close. Like I said: that ending will hit you like a ton of bricks, not because it is unexpected, but because at that point you are so emotionally invested. 

It is an absolute must-see. So go ahead.