Boy & the World

One of the nominees for the Best Animated Feature Oscar was Boy & the World, a Brazilian film. I've now seen all five of the nominees and this one, directed by Ale Abreu, is the most abstract, with a slender narrative and an emphasis on visuals, which is perhaps something an animated film should be.

The boy, who is named Cuca (that is never spoken--there is no dialogue) who looks like a light socket, lives in a rural farming village. He enjoys playing outdoors. He seems like Calvin without Hobbes. One day his father, a gaunt man who plays the flute, takes a train, presumably to the big city to look for work. Cuca follows him, encountering things he's never seen before.

That's pretty much all I got out of it. Boy & the World is only 80 minutes, so it's not that difficult to sit through, but I admit I did find my mind wandering at some points. Without language some areas were unclear--did he befriend a man on a bicycle, who let him stay with him?

Most of the scenes are groovy animation, which might be aided by hallucinogenics. At one point the boy is given a kaleidoscope (he tries to blow into it) but then looks inside and is mesmerized. In some ways Boy & the World is a very long glimpse into a kaleidoscope.

I will add that the ending, which I won't discuss here, is extremely poignant and might bring a tear to the eye.