Movie Review: The RED TURTLE | A beautiful poetry on the cycle of Life!

Hi guys, this will be my first review in this community. I have decided to go deep into this fascinating world of Anime and have a daunting list of series and movies to watch. Could you help me filter those and drop your best recommendations so I can get to those first?

Anyway, I started with a special movie which has been on my watchlist since it came out in 2016. Let's talk about "The Red Turtle"

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A man is shipwrecked on a deserted island and encounters a big red turtle, which changes his life.

The Red Turtle is a story of a young man stranded on a desolate island and how his life changes completely when he meets with an unwanted guest in the form of a Red Turtle who shatters all his attempts to leave the island. Directed by Michael Dudok de Wit and produced by the Gibli Studios who are famous for their art style.

Plot

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When a shipwrecked mariner has washed away to a desolate island full of sandy beaches, a lush green bamboo forest and a source of fresh water. This wasn't the worst of places to be stuck at but he tries to go back to his home and sail away and leave this island. He had plenty of materials to make his raft and set out to sail the vast ocean. But a mysterious sea creature destroys his raft and he tries again with an even bigger one but fails again and again. This mysterious creature is a big Red Turtle.

Furious with his failed attempt, our unnamed protagonist tries to kill this turtle when this mystical turtle comes on the beach.

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The story becomes more mystical as the seemingly dead turtle becomes a young woman. This woman tries to hide from the guy but it doesn't last long and they soon fall in love and the thought of leaving the island just leaves our protagonist's mind.

They had a son who had grown along with turtles and seemed to love the ocean and its creatures a lot more than his father. As more time passes, the son is now a young man.

One day, the island is struck with a catastrophic Tsunami which almost kills the entire family but they all survive. The son takes the blessing to leave the island just like a young Turtle would go off to never return. The cycle ends with the old man dying on the beach and the woman seen going into the water again in the form of the "Red Turtle" just like she came on this shore.

A Visual Masterpiece

I don't know where should I start, the movie is beautifully narrated and painted with incredible hand-drawn style artwork. The colours are absolutely captivating, from the bright blue ocean and the sky to the greens and yellows of the island. I love the art style a lot. The designs are quite minimalistic but very effective. The animation is quite fluid.

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Since this movie has no dialogue, the emotions are conveyed by mostly the facial expressions, the colours or the background score. Talking about the music, it fits perfectly with the visuals and helps a lot to tell the story.

Even though it has a linear plot, there are still moments of tension expressed beautifully. In a scene where our protagonist falls from a cliff right into the water surrounded by slippery vertical walls from all sides, you feel trapped and have nowhere to go.

There is a lot of symbolism that this movie uses. I can see the conservation of nature and wildlife is beautifully shown in this tale. It offers a very fresh and unique perspective on life and the cycle of life and death. I love to watch some unique movies and this is one of them for sure, with no dialogues, quite an interesting storyline, a visual masterpiece and the score all make it a great watch.

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At the same time, it can disappoint a lot of people as there are some mysterious elements left untold. Who was the Red Turtle? Was it some kind of a protector or represents the power of nature? It doesn't give closure and the film leaves it to the viewers. One complaint I have about this movie is the pacing issue. At times, the movie feels a bit drawn out because of the lack of twists and turns and a simple plot it could feel like this can be told more effectively in a shorter run time. 80 minutes is a bit long in my opinion for this simple storytelling. That's why I will deduct some rating points when I rate this one.

I recommend the movie to anyone trying to experience something unique and beautiful! This is suitable for any age group as well and since it has no dialogue and just emotions anyone can watch it and understand it without any problems.

My ratings: 8.5/10

Until next movie...