The Red Turtle (2016)

This is a quiet little masterpiece of images, each one rich with meaning, that collectively speak to a universal process.

This is, quite simply, thoughtful and ultimately moving animation at its best.

Michael Dudok de Wit’s hypnotizing, entirely dialogue-free The Red Turtle is a fable so simple, so pure, it feels as if it has existed for hundreds of years, like a brilliant shard of sea glass rendered smooth and elegant through generations of retelling.

The Red Turtle is a visually stunning poetic fable, but there’s more on its mind than simply beauty.

The Red Turtle nevertheless remains throughout a simple, gripping story of survival, deriving its sense of adventure from the most basic plot imaginable: Here’s a human being, stranded in a strange place, using his strength, intelligence, and courage to forge some kind of a life for himself.