NYICFF ’25: Living Large

Growing up can be tough, but everyone is expected to do it. Let’s be honest, some people, maybe a lot of them, never really get it right. Maybe that is why there will always be an audience for coming-of-age films. Indeed, any American can relate to this film, even though it was made by Czech animators and based on a French novel. Ben Pipetka has good friends and both musical and culinary talent, but he is a fat kid, so he gets bullied. However, he tries to take back control over his life in Kristina Dufcova’s Living Large which screens as part of the 2025 New York International Children’s Film Festival.

Luckily for Pipetka’s veterinarian mom, he is the one who does most of the cooking—using a lot of butter. He also fixes himself big breakfasts and substantial snacks throughout the day. The audience does not need the school nurse to tell us he is overweight, but in the wrong hands, her note prompts some nasty bullying. Eventually, things get so bad, Pipetka considers visiting a weight-loss doctor recommended by his divorced father Cyril and his new girlfriend Sofie.

Obviously, losing weight is difficult, given Pipetka’s sweet tooth and sophisticated palate. However, he has powerful motivation. Her name is Klara Laboutkova and she is unusually friendly for a girl. So much so, Pipetka thinks he might have a shot—even though her jerky bother is one of his biggest tormentors.

So yes, Living Large is thematically familiar—you might also say timeless. His story feels like a warm well-worn John Hughes sweater, especially when he rehearses his garage band with his friends, Erik Poupe, and his sister Sonia Poupetova.

Dufcova’s stop-motion characters have a slightly dirtier, sweatier look and vibe than other previous clay animation figures. It has a bit of a grungy look, but it rather suits its hormonally-charged angst-ridden teenagers. You could almost compare it to Welcome Back Kotter, but Dufcova and co-screenwriters Petr Jarchovsky, Barbora Drevikowska, and Anna Vasova only intermittently aim for laughs.

The way Living Large depicts Pipetka’s various relationships is also quite smart and realistic. Despite all churlish words his mom has for Sofie, she turns out to be a sensitive kindred spirit. In fact, their scenes together are really endearing.

The animation is really quite distinctive, in a textured, lived-in kind of way. Yet, Dufcova and company truly tap into the universal themes and experiences of the teenaged experience. This film will not lose any of its relevancy or appeal thirty years from now. Recommended for fans of animation and high school drama, Living Large screens again this Sunday (3/9) as part of this year’s NYICFF.