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Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles (2018)Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles (2018)

Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles (2018)

A stunning and surreal portrait of an iconic Spanish filmmaker

Animation, Drama, History

7.4

movie

Germany, Netherlands
French, Spanish
Thought-provoking, True-story-based
2018
Salvador Simó
Jorge Usón, Pepa Gracia, Rachel Lascar
82 min

Synopsis

rotten tomatoes
imdb
wikipedia
Paris, 1930. Luis Buñuel is penniless after the scandal surrounding the release of his last movie. Sculptor Ramón Acín, a good friend, buys a lottery ticket and promises Buñuel that he will pay for his next movie if he wins the prize.

Our Take

7.4
Isabella Endrinal

Incorporating traditional animation, Surrealist art style, and scenes from Luis Buñuel’s own films, Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles is a portrait of a brilliant yet eccentric artist who is stubborn in his ideals. The film is a series of dreams—visions from a life often disrupted by war and ideology—but is more structured and coherent than its inspirations, and striking in the commentary it makes on art. Within the film’s story, Buñuel’s character initially takes on a documentary project through a more dramatic and staged approach that separates him from his crew and his producer Acín. However, his nightmares stemming from childhood trauma eventually lead him to focus on the people he’s filming and advocating for. Historical yet surreal, highly political yet personal, this film is an apt celebration of a divisive artist.

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