The
beaches of Normandy and Brittany are still regularly invaded by armies of
tourists, who also retreat with similar clockwork precision. A
seventy-something vacationer will liken herself to Robinson Crusoe when she
misses the last train out of the seasonal seaside town. Yet, her months of
solitude will not be such a hardship in Jean-François Laguionie’s remarkably
graceful animated feature Louise by the Shore
(trailer here),
which releases today on DVD from First Run Features.
Due
to a malfunctioning clock, Louise misses the last train out of town. The town
is now completely deserted and effectively cut off from the outside world by a
freak storm. Despite her initial concerns, she soon finds the sea will provide
sustenance and a small garden plot will nicely augment her diet. Fashioning the
lifeguard stand into a makeshift hunt and using the luxury hotel’s outdoor
showers, she lives rather pleasantly on the beach. She even finds companionship
when she meets Pepper, a stray mutt, who sometimes has the power of speech.
Shore is a deceptively
simple, but emotionally complex film about a woman of advanced years
re-learning how to live in concert with nature and finally coming to terms with
painful memories from her childhood. It is not about slapstick gags or catchy
tunes (although Pierre Kellner’s piano compositions and Pascal Le Pennec’s
orchestral score are arrestingly beautiful). Instead it is a memory play of
sorts and an exploration of Madame Louise’s insecurities and unresolved issues.
Plus, there is a dog you’d love to scratch behind the ears.
Laguionie
is probably best known for the visually distinctive GKIDS release, The Painting, but Shore has an even more sophisticated look. Using a pastel color
palate, his hand-drawn animation deliberately evokes the look of water-color
painting and urbane French illustrators. It is all quite beautiful, but Laguionie’s
style also potently evokes the feeling one gets from being in a familiar place
at a time that completely changes its vibe, like visiting an old school yard
after graduation.
