Sheer movie magic: Boy and the World review by Rashid Irani
This unique animated feature that sets the innocence of childhood against the harsh realities of the adult world has the makings of a cult classic.
This wordless animated gem has finally made it to our shores, four years after its release internationally, and boy has it been worth the wait.
Brazilian writer-director Ale Abreu uses traditional hand-drawn images to tell a bittersweet fable about an impoverished father who leaves home to seek work in the big city, and his little boy who embarks on a parallel journey filled with apprehension and optimism in equal measure.
Expect an entrancing look at the innocence of childhood set against the harsh realities of the world of adults.
Abreu lets the visuals to drive the narrative, to startling effect, creating a visual experience far superior to the work of most of his North American contemporaries, including even Pixar.
The trail from agrarian to industrialised society is depicted in a series of dazzling strokes. The vision of an assembly-line workforce is comparable to Chaplin’s seminal Modern Times (1936).
There is loving care in every detail, from the unique production design to evocative soundscape and the selection of folk tunes.
Like the recent Loving Vincent, Boy and the World has the makings of a cult classic. It is, quite simply, movie magic.