My Life as a Zucchini (Ma Vie de Courgette) — Not Your Average Orphan Story *spoilers*
“We’re all the same. There’s nobody left to love us.”
Date watched: June 7, 2020
Released: 2016
Director: Claude Barras
Writers: Céline Sciamma, Germano Zullo, Claude Barras, and Morgan Navarro
Memorable cast: Gaspard Schlatter (Courgette), Sixtine Murat (Camille), Paulin Jaccoud (Simon), and Michel Vuillermoz (Raymond)
Awards (This movie was nominated for the Academy Award: Best Animated Feature Film of the Year)
This is not a happy story, but it isn’t a sad one either. The Academy Award nominated film follows Icare, whose nickname is Courgette (meaning zucchini in English), who is sent to an orphanage after the death of his mother. During his time there he befriends the other children as well as the cop, Raymond, who helped him after his mother died. When a new girl, Camille, is brought to the orphanage, the two become friends and there is a cute and innocent love story between her and Courgette. The movie ends with Courgette and Camille going to live with Raymond as his foster children.
What makes me love this story is that despite all of the sadder things addressed (alcoholism, drug abuse, child abuse, suicide, death, deportation) it is a story of childhood. It shows all the joys and resilience of being a kid. Their have fun and make friends after all of their hardships is beautiful. The love story between Camille and Courgette is beautifully childlike. It isn’t overly romantic and focuses on subtle things. It feels like a child’s first love story in an enjoyable way. I also appreciated the good and healthy relationships with adults, other than parents, depicted in the film. Particularly with Raymond, it’s refreshing to see a positive male role model who can act as a father figure for Courgette. And with everything going on in the world today, it’s nice to have a story of a good cop. The adults who work in the orphanage truly care about the children and want to make the place a home for them. They aren’t “evil” or want to hurt the children, they actually help make the orphanage an oasis where the children can be happy. This story refreshing because most stories about orphanages are filled with mean kids and horrible adults running them. The positive adult role models and children who care about each other deeply make this story a happy one.
From a technical standpoint, I think the Claymation is beautiful and creative, with spectacular coloring. My favorite scene that exemplifies this is when Courgette, Camille, and Raymond are spending the day together and go on a rollercoaster. The scene is creatively shot and beautiful, with popups of neon ghost figures and the expressions/movements of the characters.
Overall I would not hesitate to rewatch this movie, and will encourage all of my friends and family to watch.
Rating: 8.75/10
*It is on my all time favorites list*
June 7, 2020