IFC Films has announced the U.S. release date for the animated feature “Memoir of a Snail,” directed by Academy Award winner Adam Elliot. This charming stop-motion adult drama took nearly a decade to create and will open in limited release on Oct. 25, with a wider expansion throughout November.
The film follows the life of Grace Puddle, a lonely misfit with a passion for collecting ornamental snails and a deep love for romance novels. Her life takes a downward turn when she’s separated from her twin brother at a young age. Despite ongoing hardships, Grace perseveres and finds inspiration through a friendship with Pinky, an elderly eccentric woman, as she slowly learns to find confidence and love.
“Memoir of a Snail” is Elliot’s second stop-motion feature, following his critically acclaimed “Mary and Max” (2009), which opened at Sundance. An Oscar winner for best animated short for “Harvie Krumpet” (2003), Elliot writes and directs this touching animated film featuring the voice talents of Emmy winner Sarah Snook (“Succession”), Oscar nominees Kodi Smit-McPhee (“The Power of the Dog”) and Jacki Weaver (“Animal Kingdom”), as well as acclaimed stars Eric Bana (“Munich”) and musician/composer Nick Cave.
The film premiered in June at the Annecy Film Festival, where it received rave reviews and won the top prize, the Cristal Award for best feature. Elliot became the first two-time winner of this prestigious award.
Peter Debruge, Variety’s chief film critic, praised the movie’s “dark and surprisingly moving brand of storytelling,” writing: “Like Edward Gorey’s, his palette is nearly monochromatic; his characters tend to face the camera, à la Wes Anderson, as if posing for gloomy school photos; and his John Waters-esque humor is irreverent enough to encompass everything from disabilities to weird sexual kinks.”
With humor, heart and meticulous attention to detail in its worldbuilding, Elliot and his stellar voice cast deliver a vivid portrayal of an outsider finding her confidence.
Produced alongside Liz Kearney, the film also features beautiful music by Elena Kats-Chernin. “Memoir of a Snail” is among several of IFC Films’ offerings for the upcoming awards season, including the international feature “The Devil’s Bath” under its Shudder brand, which aims to represent Austria at the forthcoming Oscars.
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