Tangles

In an odd twist of fate, the Iranian-born French cartoonist and filmmaker Marjane Satrapi, best known for Persepolis, passed away right as Leah Nelson’s Tangles, a similarly black-and-white animated film based on an autobiographical graphic novel, was beginning its fruitful journey on the festival circuit (Cannes, then Annecy, Toronto, San Sebastián, and more). Perhaps she would have appreciated the irony, as Nelson’s feature debut deals in part with having to say goodbye, albeit in a darkly comic manner that, alongside its starry voice cast might facilitate a more mainstream theatrical rollout, starting with the US one courtesy of IFC.

Taking its cue from Tangles: A Story About Alzheimer’s, My Mother and Me by Sarah Leavitt (who also co-authored the screenplay with Nelson and Trev Renney), the movie focuses on the original creator’s fictionalized alter ego, voiced by Abbi Jacobson. She grew up in a conservative small town, and moved to San Francisco where she thrives as an artist and activist. But when Alzheimer’s disease begins affecting the personality of her mother Midge (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), Sarah realizes she has to come back and help her family deal with the situation, finally coming to terms with the imperfect charm of her upbringing.

To help sell the perhaps not-so-obvious funny side of the story, Nelson has assembled a cast consisting of comedians or actors with ample comedy experience: in addition to the aforementioned Jacobson and Louis-Dreyfus, viewers will recognize the vocal stylings of Bryan Cranston, Beanie Feldstein, Seth Rogen (who also shepherded the project as a producer), Wanda Sykes, Pamela Adlon, Sarah Silverman, and more. It’s a varied but unified group, effortlessly moving between the hilarious and the more serious side of the subject matter, undoubtedly assisted by the fact the director managed to organize some recording sessions with two actors working together, which is not the norm in American feature animation (Adlon and Silverman, playing Sarah’s eccentric aunts, are a brilliant double act).

From the vignette-y approach of the source material, the filmmaker has put together a narrative where single, striking episodes combine to create a cohesive, emotionally transformative whole where the hand-drawn animation crafts a deceptively simple, mesmerizingly rich tapestry of places, facial expressions and feelings. Landscapes and soundscapes merge into a family portrait that is beautifully dysfunctional and dysfunctionally beautiful: the destination may be an inevitably sad one, but the journey is filled with heartwarming moments, and is unlikely to leave viewers without a smile (not least when Rogen treats us to his infectious trademark laugh).

Is it a tough sell from a commercial standpoint? Undoubtedly, yes, on account of it being a traditionally animated dark comedy about a degenerative disease, and decidedly not aimed at younger audiences. But more importantly, it is a piece of visual melancholy that highlights the strength of hand-drawn aesthetics in a world where, in the US especially, CGI is the dominant form. Perhaps best enjoyed on a double bill with fellow Cannes alumnus In Waves, also based on an autobiographical illustrated story.

Director: Leah Nelson
Screenwriters: Leah Nelson, Sarah Leavitt, Trev Renney
Cast: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Abbi Jacobson, Bryan Cranston, Beanie Feldstein, Seth Rogen, Samira Wiley, Pamela Adlon, Sarah Silverman, Wanda Sykes, Bowen Yang
Producers: Vicky Patel, Steve Barnett, Alan Powell, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Alex McAtee, Lauren Miller Rogen, Jennifer W. Ray, Jay Grandin, Teresa Toews, Leah Nelson, Ross Murray
Music: Dan Romer
Sound: Ryland Haggis, Miguel Araujo
Production companies: Monarch Media, Point Grey Pictures, Lylas Pictures, Giant Ant Films
World sales: Charades
Venue: San Sebastián International Film Festival (Perlak)
In English
102 minutes