When the Man Embraces the Sea || A Review on The Red Turtle

Konnichiwa Hivers, it's me, your ridgette again! It's almost the end of the month of July, but before this month ends, I just wanna share another water-based anime. So far, this anime is basically the most unusual anime that I've watched. At first, I really thought that there's something wrong with my headset because I'm not hearing any dialogue—just the background noise and shouts—but as the movie progressed, I realized that it indeed doesn't have any dialogue. The lack of dialogue somehow made me quite hesitant to continue the movie, but there was definitely something that made me stay. So join me as I share a glimpse of the dialogue-free animated movie, The Red Turtle.

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About the Anime:

The Red Turtle (La Tortue Rogue) is a French-Japanese animated movie that was directed by Michael Dudok de Wit. The movie premiered on May 18 at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. Its genres are drama and family, and it was co-produced by Wild Bunch and Studio Ghibli in association with Why Not Productions. So the movie started with a portrayal of a ferocious storm on the sea, and there a man was seen struggling among the harsh waves.

When the storm subsided, the man found himself stranded on a deserted island. To be able to survive, he explored the entirety of the island. Fortunately, the island is a lush one, and it somehow provided almost all of his basic needs. With the island's abundant resources, the man could really survive by himself there, but of 'course it still lacks something. The island has basically no other human inhabitants, and that means he's really alone there. Wanting to escape the loneliness he felt, the man started to collect bamboos to make a raft.

After making a raft, he eagerly pushed it towards the ocean. He was finally out on the sea, but out of nowhere, something nudged his raft. His raft shook violently, and after some more nudging, it toppled down. With no more raft, the man was left with no choice but to go back to the deserted island. Upon going to the island, he built another raft again, but also like the first one, it toppled down due to the mysterious thing that's been nudging it from below. Exhausted from trying, the man decided to just give up.

Eventually, loneliness became unbearable for him, so after a few days of caving in the forest, he decided to build another raft again. This time, he became very vigilant so that he could spot the thing that's been destroying his raft. This time, to his surprise, he spotted a giant red turtle. He attempted to drive it away, but the turtle continued with its usual nudging. After a few nudgings, his raft toppled down, and he fell down into the sea. There he came face-to-face with the red turtle, but the turtle didn't harm him. After the encounter, the man swam again towards the island, but this time he's angrier. He already knows what's the thing that's been destroying his raft, and he is both furious and scared of it.

The sun was setting, and still, his anger isn't subsiding. He was shouting and releasing his anger towards the ocean when he noticed something approaching the shore. He immediately rushed down the mountain to make sure of what he saw, and indeed, his eyes didn't fail him. It's the red turtle! Filled with animosity, he did what an angry human would do. But will that action satisfy him? Or will it add more to the ever-growing collection of burdens that has been building up inside him?

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My initial reaction after watching the movie was the feeling of longing because I was really immersed in it, and then—yeah, it ended. Honestly, the first half was quite dragging to watch because I'm not really fond of watching such a lonely movie. It was like the loneliness that the man was feeling was rubbing off on me, and I don't like it because it wasn't a nice feeling. The ending was really satisfying—so satisfying, to be honest. So what's with the feeling of longing I felt? Well, if you really got absorbed by a movie, you will eventually feel a certain emptiness after finishing it—the feeling of longing even though it ended well.

So much for what I've felt, the visuals of the movie weren't that realistic, yet they were beautiful. Also, the creator used neutral colors, which are eye-soothing. Further, according to an article I read, it took over nine years to work out the whole movie. Made from charcoal, paintbrushes, and CGI animation, the movie creatively portrayed the important events of the stranded man's life on that deserted island. Although it's a dialogue-free movie, the character's facial expressions and body movements did a good job of relaying the emotions that he or she wanted to convey. Also, the background music and the instrumentals were well utilized, for they somehow enhanced the other cinematic elements of the movie.

As for the plot, I don't want to talk much about it because I know I'll end up spoiling it, but it's a story that will really satisfy you. The plot highlights the unending cycle of life—how those who belong to the sea come back to the sea, and how those who belong to the land also come back to the land. The beauty and relevance of nature were also conveyed in the plot. To sum the plot up, it is all about the intricacies of humans, nature, and ultimately, life itself.

Overall, the movie was both meaningful and enjoyable. The story of the nameless man indeed started in an unfortunate manner. Being stuck alone on a deserted island was really devastating, despite the fact that you could possibly live there. Good things are bound to happen if we'll patiently wait for them—and just like that, he did find meaning in living on that island. My personal rating for this movie was 8.5/10. Like I mentioned, the earlier part was quite dragging, but things got really better as it drew near to its end. So if you're up for a dialogue-free movie that's both meaningful and soothing to watch, then you definitely need to watch The Red Turtle.

Before I end this review, I gladly share with you its trailer, so—

That's all for now, Hivers. I hope you enjoyed reading my movie review. See you on my next blog!