Movie Info
Movie Name: I Lost My Body
Studio: Xilam
Genre(s): Animated/Drama
Release Date(s): May 17, 2019 (France)/November 19, 2019 (US)
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
It’s hard out there for a hand
Naoufel has lived a challenging life. His childhood dreams are dashed with the deaths of his parents, and he’s grown up in the foster system. When a chance encounter with a customer on his pizza delivery route sparks an interest in Naoufel, he sets out to learn the identity of the woman and see if it is more than just an infatuation, but something has happened. A disembodied hand escapes a lab and begins searching the city. It is desperate for something, and seeking out the body that lost it.
Directed by Jérémy Clapin, I Lost My Body (J’ai perdu mon corps) is a French adult animated feature. The movie adapts the 2006 book Happy Hand (Cadre rouge) by Guillaume Laurant. It premiered in France and made the festival round before being picked up by Netflix. The film well received and nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
Thing gets his big chance to branch off his role in The Addams Family
I have to say that the Animated Feature Academy Awards are always interesting. There generally are the typical films (aka the ones pumped out by Disney and Pixar), but there is almost always a foreign film that has flown under the radar in America. It was exciting when the nominations were released that I learned that this was on Netflix (along with Klaus). Watching I Lost My Body, I found the film unique and visually appealing…something that not all animated films can claim.
The story is prevented in a jumbled order. The primary story is the hand travelling through the city looking for its owner. The secondary story is the story of Naoufel who is quickly established as the hand’s owner. As the two stories progress, the hand’s journey gets closer and closer to Naoufel. You don’t know how Naoufel loses his hand, but the anticipation of this event does help propel the story.
With a thrust established, the story is a nice story about overcoming adversity. Naoufel is constantly faced with problems. The death of his family (which he blames himself for) and his struggles in the foster system. He can’t go to school, he can’t hold a job, and his childhood dreams are wrecked…and you know they are going to tragically be wrecked again as he starts to clean up his life. I do find his pursuit of Gabrielle kind of creepy, but the general theme of overcoming adversity and foraging on is a good one.
Wait…following a girl, insinuating yourself into her life, building an igloo for her, revealing you are her stalker…and she doesn’t take it well? Women…who understands them?
The animation for the film is also solid. It is definitely for adults, but it has a great sense of realism that helps you forget that you are watching an animated film. A movie about a hand crawling around the city seems pretty implausible, but I Lost My Body pulls it off. It is a nice visual feast that seems to blend different styles of animation from around the world.
I Lost My Body is relatively short, but it is compelling in its telling. It keeps you on the edge of your seat by having Naoufel continuously risking life and limb (literally) when you know he is going to lose his hand in some means. It is great to see animation used in a different way on occasion instead of simply family friendly fares and Japanese anime. The story threatens to be dull but it is told in a way that works and keeps you watching. I know people that simply can’t watch animated features, but seek out I Lost My Body…just like a certain headstrong hand.
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