Memoir of a Snail

Maribor premiere.

The creator of the cult animated feature Mary and Max and the Oscar-winning Harvie Krumpet once again invites us into the world of his wonderfully oddball characters, brought to life through masterful stop-motion animation and a delightfully darkly comic story. His new protagonist is Grace Pudel, an obsessive slug collector whose life takes a chaotic turn after separating from her beloved twin brother. But when she befriends an eccentric old lady named Pinky, a ray of hope begins to shine through. The film is inspired by Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard and his famous quote: “Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.”

The ideas explored in the film are beautifully aligned with the stop-motion technique, which relies on figures capable of remarkably complex movements. In both spirit and aesthetics, Elliot follows the tradition of Jan Švankmajer and Tim Burton, and counts David Lynch among his influences. Yet, he has developed a distinctly personal style—one that, as he himself emphasizes, portrays human imperfection in a tender, loving way. That tenderness is perhaps most evident in his extraordinary attention to detail.

Distribution: Fivia

Madeleine

Raquel Sancinetti, 2023, Canada, 15 min

Every week, Raquel (41), a Brazilian immigrant, visits her friend Madeleine (107) in her retirement home in Montreal and tries to convince her to get out of the house. The senior woman refuses: she has nothing else to do outside.

Minoriti Open Air Cinema • Organization and production Puppet theater Maribor, Minoriti cultural quarter, Society for the development of film culture • The program is supported by the Municipality of Maribor • Sponsors Radenska, Lunos, OTP banka