Content warning: the following discusses the death of a pet, so please proceed with caution.
At the time of writing, it’s only been a few days since my family and I bid farewell to one of our dear beloved cats (who had been diagnosed with cancer a couple of months earlier). A grey and white sweetheart, he was a part of our lives for nearly 13 years. I’ve never met anyone, animal or human, who loved to be petted by and snuggle other cats and people as much as him (nor a cat who purred quite so loudly when he was happy). He was also a charming rascal and lovable weirdo who left us with countless anecdotes to regale ourselves with. To say my family and I are heartbroken would be putting it mildly.
In my sorrow, as I’ve always done whenever I lose someone dear to me, I’ve found myself drawn to media that speaks to my feelings. (Yes, for whatever reason, I’m apparently an emotional sadist who only really wants to watch sad stuff when I’m sad. Go figure.) As chance had it, I’d already made plans to check out what wound up being the perfect movie for my current state of mind: “Memoir of a Snail.”
The latest “clayography” written and directed by Adam Elliot is loosely inspired by events in the Australian filmmaker’s real life. This underseen 2024 critical darling centers on Grace Pudel (portrayed as a grownup by Sarah Snook of “Succession” fame, who speaks in her native Aussie accent to deliver a graceful, empathetic voice performance). Grace is, by her own admission, an introverted oddball in a family of oddballs. Growing up in 1970s Melbourne, Grace spends her youth being bullied (first because of her cleft lip and then, after going through puberty, her body type) and enduring a string of tragedies. This culminates in her and her fiercely loyal, protective twin brother Gilbert (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee as an adult) being sent to different foster homes — each neglectful or, in Gilbert’s case, outright abusive in their own way — on opposing sides of the continent.
Over time, Grace retreats even further into herself, hoarding snails and snail-themed items to deal with her loneliness (including the homemade snail hat she’s been wearing since she was a kid). As the film continued, though, it occurred to me that “Memoir of a Snail” has a remarkable amount in common with another underseen animated 2024 gem — one that, on the surface, seems like it’s worlds apart.