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Memoir Of A Snail ★★★★★

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Released: 14th February 2025

Director: Adam Elliot

Starring: Sarah Snook, Kodi Smit-Mcphee, Eric Bana, Nick Cave, Dominique Pinon, Jacki Weaver 

There is a quote early on in Memoir Of A Snail that stood out to me. “Childhood is life’s best season.”. Only a few days ago, I was at my parents house looking at photos of my younger self and mourning her. I miss her so much and every inch of me really wishes time travel existed so I could be with her again. Longing for the days where making friends was easy and anxiety was less felt. Adam Elliott’s latest stop-motion animation feature is an aching yet healing representation of linear grief and how it transpires as we navigate adulthood.

We first meet Grace (Sarah Snook) as she is telling her life story to her favourite pet snail, Slyvia, following the death of her best friend, Pinky. For Grace and her twin brother Gilbert (Kodi Smit-Mcphee), life’s hardships became a sad normality following the death of their parents – mum in child birth, and dad who was a paraplegic alcoholic. The twins were split up after their dad’s passing, with Grace being sent to a pair of unapologetic swingers, and Gilbert to a family of religious foundations at the complete opposite side of Australia. Throughout the film we often see the pair writing letters to each other, longing to be together again.

As Grace struggles to navigate the struggles that life has thrown at her, she focuses on her love for snails which began following the death of her mum. It’s interesting to note the representation of the collection of snails throughout the film. In one aspect, it’s clear that Grace is hoarding to a point of no return as her grief and disappointment in humanity deepens. Though, on a different level at times the sentimental factor of collecting can be viewed as healing her inner child – until this no longer serves her.

The film industry can often frustrate, mainly due to its lack of originality. Elliot’s exploration of grief allows the audience to feel real emotions. Prior to seeing Memoir of a Snail, I felt as though I was battling myself to leave my flat. The tears were somewhere in my eyes itching to shed. Instead, I just let them out in relief during the film. While the main theme is grief, it extends to not just the death of a loved one, but the grief of loneliness and how our childlike naivety is replaced with constant doubts and worries as we get older. The heaviness of the themes are lightened with touches of humour, an example being seeing Grace’s foster parents living their best nudist life. Elliott’s screenwriting allows all of the film’s realness to impact its audience on a level where you’re crying one minute and in stitches the next – but arguably this is the epitome of life and finding ways to cope through tough times.

Memoir of a Snail will leave you speechless. But in a good way. In a way that you will leave the cinema feeling understood. Elliott revealed that the film was eight years in the making, and how lucky we are as an audience to be able to watch and relate to a product of someone’s passionate creativity.

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