Berlin reviews

In Contention (subscription)

It took six days and an awful lot of films, but the Berlinale has finally turned up a masterpiece. Moreover, it’s a rare case of one of the fest’s most eagerly awaited titles managing to meet, and even subvert, expectations. The Illusionist . . . confirms a truly singular auteur sensibility, while revealing a more disciplined artist and storyteller within. A streamlined character study, less deliriously eccentric in tone and structure than his debut feature, The Illusionist nonetheless boasts an emotional heft that handsomely repays its creator’s restraint.

If ever there was a love letter to a city, it is this gorgeous, poignant portrait of Edinburgh, so superbly rendered that it almost feels as if the city on screen is a living, breathing entity.

It is a very beautiful, quite slow, and intimate film. It is much smaller than "Triplettes", and with less action. The designs are, as usual, beautiful, great colours too.

As someone who seriously thought about applying to job offers from Chomet's studio some years ago but didn't because of the very high expectations ("excellent in human anatomy", "at least 5 yrs as a Senior Animator on feature films" - I was wondering how many artists who meet his specs he would be able to find in Europe?) I especially kept an eye on the quality of the animation. It was ... mixed. Some scenes were just great, these were all those in which Tatischeff, the main character, played out a longer scene. All the schticks and mannerisms of Tati were present, it was a delight to watch. In most of the other scenes I wasn't impressed that much.

Compared to the dense story of 'The Triplets of Belleville', it seems at first that 'The Illusionist' lacks drive. But this time, Sylvain Chomet was better off not hurrying. Otherwise, you would miss the fantastically accurate portrayal of decor and characters, and would not fully feel how the emotions and atmosphere in this animated film - which actually even lacks dialogue, by the way - would give almost any live-action film a run for its money. Chomet's Scotland and its inhabitants are distinctly real: besides recognizable Edinburgh streets, the artist accurately captured the local mentality. At the pre-premiere viewing there turned out to be many British folk in the theatre, and in many instances they laughed at jokes that were apparent only to them.

Twitchfilm

Despite the lengthy production cycle and increased budget, The Illusionist is, in many ways, a much smaller film than Belleville and completely lacking in the sort of mad-scientist wizardry that drew most to Chomet in the first place. Though very clearly the work of the same man - the visual style is unmistakable - this is a very different film and those hoping for more of the same ... well, you're just not going to get it.