The Illusionist (L'illusionniste) (2010)

"A French illusionist finds himself out of work and travels to Scotland, where he meets a young woman. Their ensuing adventure changes both their lives forever." (imdb.com)

Viewed Once on DVD

In Europe in the late 1950's, an old-fashioned illusionist (one might call him a "magician," but there is definitely a difference) is finding himself more and more out of work as he competes with the advancement of Beatles-esque rock bands. While the rock bands play to screaming and adoring crowds of hundreds, the illusionist regularly finds himself putting on a show for groups of five or six people. He wearily packs up his mean-spirited rabbit (who bites everyone), travels to Scotland to perform in a family-owned pub for several drunken enthusiastic audience members, and finds his life changed when he meets a young girl (maybe 14 years old?) who is fascinated with his work. When he returns to Paris, she follows him and he takes her under his wing, providing a home, food, and new clothes for her. Along the way, she connects with the illusionist's depressed neighbors and she changes the illusionist's perspective on life and the city. He gradually learns to look at the world with a more optimistic, childlike view, even though his world and his dreams are falling apart around him and he is forced to take jobs that he doesn't like. At the end of the film, she becomes a self-sustaining young woman who has learned to trust; he possesses renewed vigor in performing his illusion tricks, even though he is a dying breed of entertainer. Although the story is not very substantial, it is original and touching. The humor is very subtle and realistic, which means there's not much slapstick or "comedic" moments. This film is one to be savored slowly, even as it labors around heavily, wandering through the life of these two misfits. (Is it just me, or does the Illusionist bring up memories of Monsieur Hulot?)

The biggest redeeming quality for me is the style of the film itself. The animation is absolutely gorgeous: I can't tell if it's hand-drawn characters on watercolor backgrounds, or entirely two-dimensional computer animation. Either way, it's absolutely classy and entirely unlike anything I've ever seen. It's smooth, rich, and very pleasant. (If you want to get a taste of the visual beauty of the film itself, watch the trailer.) Another interesting attribute is that of dialogue--there are maybe fifteen lines of dialogue in the entire film. While this is strange and distracting at first, it eventually creates a charming portrait of the two protagonists. Not since Pixar's film Wall-E have I seen a film that successfully exploits lack of dialogue throughout the entire film.

This film, outstanding in its visual style and lackluster in its storyline, is a fantastic commentary on the human social condition. It's got several characters who learn to laugh, love, or believe in something. Even though most of the film is rather dismal and strange, it's oddly uplifting. This is an Oscar nominee worth watching, if one is willing to invest the time to be captivated by its subtle, offbeat nuances.

4 out of 6 stars

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The Internet Movie Database