Charlotte

Charlotte follows the life and story of Charlotte Salomon, a Jewish artist whose collection of over a thousand paintings – titled Life? or Theatre? – is considered by many as the first graphic novel. It stars the voices of Keira Knightley, Sam Claflin, Brenda Blethyn and Mark Strong amongst other names. The film depicts how Charlotte painted Life? or Theatre?: the initial catalyst for it and the story behind some of the memories outlined in her art. Charlotte tackles several weighty subjects, from World War II to the violence faced in daily life by Jewish people, the hereditary cycle of depression, the stigma around mental illness and treatments surrounding it, as well as questions on the ethics of euthanasia.

Most of the voice actors put in decent performances, but the standout is Jim Broadbent as Grosspapa. He captures well the essence of the character’s overbearing nature and strictly traditional values that clash with Charlotte’s happiness as an individual. This makes her choice later in the film all the more haunting and piercing. Knightley’s Charlotte is insecure and naive, her only confidence in the art that she draws. At times, however, Knightley struggles to capture the wide range of emotions Charlotte experiences throughout the feature with authenticity.

Fortunately, the art and animation style provide that missing sentiment. Thick outlines and 2D animation are used for the character models with a very rotoscope-like flow. This allows for very realistic actions and facial feature movements and showcases the character’s emotions well. The paintings remain untouched, looking exactly as they do in real life, making them distinct from the events of the film. Textures for aspects such as snow, fire and water also help evoke the atmosphere, alongside brilliant use of lighting and colours.

The film is quite fast-paced and straightforward both in plot and delivery. This causes a bit of a metaphorical whiplash with the movement from one scene to another, even with all the title cards and crossfades. Some lingering shots heighten the tension and visual reminders aid in piecing the story together without explicitly depicting the horrors and violence inflicted on the characters. The relationship between Alfred and Charlotte is never fully developed, meaning their romance isn’t quite as compelling.

“Only by doing something mad can I hope to stay sane,” says Charlotte, to perfectly illustrate why she does the things she does, and the overall trajectory of the film.

Mae Trumata

Charlotte is released in select cinemas on 9^th December 2022.

Watch the trailer for Charlotte here: