Memoir of a Snail

Aussie stop-motion animation from writer-director Adam Elliot Memoir of a Snail is one of those rare cinematic gems that comes along once or twice a year.  It’s a bleak and frequently heartbreaking watch, which eloquently navigates themes of loneliness, depression and grief, whilst being filled with pathos and a unique and endearing personality. Its collection of gnarled and sunken-eyed puppets may be reminiscent of creations from Tim Burton and Henry Selick, but Elliot’s film is wholly its own thing.

The plot centres around Grace Puddle (Sarah Snook), a snail-obsessed women who’s just lost a dear friend. Sitting on a garden bench, she tells her life story to her cherished pet snail Sylvia, explaining how she ended up becoming so alone in life. Spanning the years bullied at school for her appearance to the period spent with oddball foster parents, Grace’s story is filled with sadness and disappointment. The only real friend she has is an excentric older woman named Pinky (Jacki Weaver), who’s lived a full life travelling the world and playing table tennis with Fidel Castro. Aside from her growing collection of snail-related merchandise, the only other source of hope in Grace’s life is the letters from her twin brother Gilbert (Kodi Smit-McPhee).

As emotionally devastating as some of the tragic events are that define the protagonist’s life, Elliot handles each with thoughtfulness and care to make Grace’s experiences completely relatable. Audiences will feel the impact of each blow and setback the character faces as they relive her story alongside her, all the way to its poignant conclusion.

Though Memoir of a Snail deals with painful themes, it does so with an appropriate dash of dark humour. From the cruelly ironic message written on the back of the bus that removes Gilbert from Grace’s life to a religious cult that are as fanatically obsessed with apples as they are with the baby Jesus, the filmmaker succeeds in finding small pockets of joy within the heartache. However, it’s Grace’s immediately likeable quirks (snail hat and all) where most of the charm is found.

Brimming with endless heart and character, Memoir of a Snail is easily one of the most remarkable films released in some time.

Andrew Murray

Memoir of a Snail is released nationwide on 14^th February 2025.

Watch the trailer for Memoir of a Snail here: