Memoir of a Snail

Fresh from its success winning the Best Film Award in the BFI London Film Festival’s Official Competition, Adam Elliot's humorous and impactful animated tale is a triumph. Grace and Gilbert are twins who, due to tragic circumstances, were separated as children. They grew up in very different families – Grace goes to live with a ‘swinger’ couple, while Gilbert is ensconced with a religious fundamentalist family – but tried to remain in contact. As time moves on, Grace withdraws into herself like the snails she cares for, until she meets Pinkie, an old woman who has ‘done it all’, from making love to John Denver to playing ping pong with Fidel Castro. The Oscar-winning director of Harvey Krumpet and the beloved Mary and Max, Adam Elliot employs his offbeat wit and unique production design to winning effect here, to create a quirky yet touching stop-motion masterpiece. Don't let the fact that it's animated fool you – alongside its rich vein of humour are distressing scenes and the film packs a powerful emotional punch.

Justin Johnson, Head of Cinema Programme

The screenings on Friday 14 February 20:50 NFT4; Sunday 16 February 13:20 NFT4; Wednesday 19 February 14:40 NFT4; Thursday 20 February 20:50 NFT4 will be presented with additional Descriptive Subtitles of non-dialogue audio.