Coming out of your shell is never easy, but “Memoir of a Snail” shows you that there’s no point in hiding from the world — even when life is trailing by at a snail’s pace. Academy Award-winning animator and director Adam Elliot tells a sweet coming-of-age story about snail-lover Grace Pudel (Sarah Snook) and her eccentric family and friends. Similar to Elliot’s first feature-length film, “Mary and Max,” his latest work celebrates outsiders through his idiosyncratic Claymation style and trademark crude Australian humor.
Based partially on Elliot’s life, “Memoir of a Snail” follows Grace from her tumultuous childhood in ’70s Melbourne all the way to adulthood. The anxious Grace was bullied as a kid for her cleft palate — this feeling of isolation was exacerbated by growing up with her twin brother, Gilbert (Kodi Smit-McPhee) and her alcoholic, paraplegic father, Percy (Dominique Pinon). However, she finds solace in a peculiar hobby: collecting snails. After their father unexpectedly dies, the twins are forced to separate — the first of many traumas that lead Grace to develop a hoarding disorder, filling up her house with endless snail memorabilia.
Elliot’s claymation style differs from other animation studios, he renders more realistic movement and molding of its characters and settings. Each of Elliot’s clay figures are given large, dopey eyes only a person beaten down by life would have. His extremely Australian settings are purposely drab and worn out, using grays and browns throughout to contrast with the warm personalities of his characters.
“Everything in the film is slightly asymmetrical, imperfect,” Elliot said at a Q&A of the film. “It was very important that everything looked a little bit wrong. That’s because the characters themselves are imperfect.”
Elliot’s stylized imperfections are especially effective in Grace’s collection of snail memorabilia. He described his art style as “chunky wonky” — a quirky characterization that is shown through the film’s thousands of miniatures and adorable aesthetic. This aestheticization, however, quickly devolves into something far more sinister as Grace turns into a full-on hoarder.
The director was inspired to make “Memoir of a Snail” after reading about extreme hoarders and discovering that hoarding is usually a coping mechanism to deal with a traumatic loss. In the film, Grace grows more and more isolated, secluding herself in her snail collection.
Elliot presents Grace’s journey by focusing on the mundane aspects of life, offering a new avenue for exploring adult themes through the medium of animation. His previous film shined in its intentional reservation and limited scale — and “Memoir of a Snail” is no different. Here, he spotlights the excitement of the everyday, demonstrating spectacle in the emotional journey of Grace.
But even as the film explores countless traumatic experiences — from the loss of Grace’s parents to an abusive marriage and a suicide attempt — “Memoir of a Snail” never feels emotionally exploitative or exhausting. The film maintains a sense of humor that reflects how absurd life truly is. For example, after Grace experiences the heartbreak of being separated from her twin brother, she’s adopted by a couple of swingers in Canberra.
While Grace is going through intense separation anxiety, “Memoir of a Snail” also shows some hilarious bits about her new parents’ crazy sexual escapades. The crass humor is not only there for shock value, but it also further underscores Grace’s loneliness. Even in her darkest moments, Elliot surprises you with the craziest gags without detracting from the film’s heaviness.
Contact Ella Sabrina Malabanan and Gabriel Murray at [email protected].