Memoir of a Snail Parent Guide
Just because this is animated doesn't mean it's suitable for kids.. Do not bring children to this film.
Parent Movie Review
Grace’s (Sarah Snook) life has been so painful, it’s no wonder that she curls into her shell like the snails she loves. Her mother died after childbirth; her father (Dominique Pinon) was paralyzed after a car accident and is now an alcoholic. Luckily, Grace has a twin brother, Gilbert (Kodi Smit-McPhee), and the two of them are devoted to each other. But when their father dies, the twins are sent to foster homes in different states.
Grace is marginally luckier than Gilbert. She winds up with a pair of accountants fixated on building her self-esteem and also befriends an elderly woman named Pinky (Jacki Weaver). Pinky’s adventurous life inspires Grace, and her brother’s letters give her hope. Gilbert, however, wound up in a harsh home, dominated by a creepy Christian cult. Endless labor, mandatory prayer, and forced baptism grind him down and slow his ability to save enough money to visit his sister. Can the siblings escape the gravitational pull of tragedy, reunite, and build happy lives?
Let me be very clear – Memoir of a Snail is not a children’s film. Yes, it’s animated, but it is wildly unsuitable for young viewers. Not just because of the tragic themes of death and loss, but due to the movie’s eye-popping quantities of negative content. There are scenes of violent bullying and on-screen deaths as well as an abortive suicide attempt in which a main character starts to ingest poison. Particularly chilling are the scenes of religious abuse and the use of torture to “purge” homosexuality from young men. There’s also a surprising amount of sexual content with plasticine breasts visible on gingerbread hash cookies, calendar photos, sunbathers, and adults skinny dipping and having sex. I can honestly say that I’ve never expected to see a stop motion animated exotic dancer spinning plasticine tassels in a film. This is a Restricted film for a reason.
Australian director Adan Elliot’s decision to make Memoir of a Snail an R-rated film is unfortunate. Had he edited this down to a PG-13 level, it could easily appeal to a larger audience of viewers with a taste for dark, weird, quirky films. He’s created a grey, bleak world, full of death, heartache, cruelty, and betrayal and somehow managed to shoot it through with rays of hope. Amid its darkness, this film is also a story of kindness, compassion, family ties, and shared humanity. Grace’s experience reminds us that people can change; that we don’t have to be captive to our pasts and our own bad habits forever. As Pinky tells her, “Life can only be understood backwards but we have to live it forwards.”
As part of its overall quirkiness, this production also has a very distinctive visual aesthetic. I’m not really a fan of the junkyard vibe, but there’s no doubt that the design has been done well, creating a completely coherent, immersive plasticine world. Stop motion animation is insanely difficult, and I can only admire the skill involved in making this film. Love it or hate it, this is not a film that will invite indifference. It will definitely prompt discussion and might even trigger a tear or two…
Directed by Adam Elliot. Starring Sarah Snook, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Jacki Weaver. Running time: 94 minutes. Theatrical release November 4, 2024. Updated November 4, 2024Watch the trailer for Memoir of a Snail
Memoir of a Snail
Rating & Content Info
Why is Memoir of a Snail rated R? Memoir of a Snail is rated R by the MPAA for sexual content, nudity, and some violent content
Violence: A child is bullied in playground: her brother punches bullies and winds up with missing tooth and bloody lip. A boy bites a bully’s finger and breaks it. A surgery goes sideways and the surgeon is seen with blood all over his clothes. An old woman wheezes and dies in bed. A man dies of natural causes in front of his children. A woman dies after childbirth off screen. There’s mention of a mother’s death but no on-screen images. A child sets off an explosion but is unharmed. A child is burned after playing with fire. A man is hit by a drunk driver off screen and is later seen in a wheelchair. A man falls onto a knife and dies on screen. A man is eaten by an alligator off screen. There are scenes of religious abuse, including a forced baptism. A clergyman defrauds his flock, stealing their donations. A woman deliberately sets fire to a teenager’s family heirloom. Guinea pigs die when a shelf falls on them: blood oozes out from the debris. Gay men are tortured with electric shocks to “purge” their homosexuality: blood is seen coming from their eyes. A main character sets a fire: his ashes are later seen in an urn. There’s an abortive suicide attempt involving the ingestion of poison which is spat out. There are scenes of child abuse and neglect. A main character shoplifts.
Sexual Content: Gingerbread hash cookies have breasts and nipples and male genitalia. There’s mention of public masturbation. A vehicle has “truck nuts”. A married couple are described as “swingers”. An exotic dancer is seen in a metallic bikini with spinning tassels. A woman goes skinny dipping with visible breasts. A sex scene shows a woman’s breasts with a man atop her. There’s some poetry with sexual innuendo. There’s a non-explicit scene of implied public sex. There’s a naked sunbathing scene that shows a woman’s breasts. A scene at a nudist colony includes visible breasts as adults sit in a hot tub. Guinea pigs have sex, resulting in baby guinea pigs. There’s brief mention of “sweaty knickers” in the context of sexual arousal. A calendar features a picture of a naked woman with visible breasts. A peeping tom stares down a woman’s bikini bottoms. A man photographs a woman in her underwear. Two men kiss each other. A woman finds an album full of nude photos of women.
Profanity: There are a handful of profanities, including a scatological curse, a term of deity, and three minor profanities. A person makes a sexual hand gesture.
Alcohol / Drug Use: There are scenes of alcoholics who have passed out. A child describes her father as an alcoholic: he’s frequently seen drinking alcohol in front of his children. Adults smoke cigarettes. A woman grows marijuana and makes “gingerbread hash” cookies. A woman smokes cigars.
Page last updated November 4, 2024
Memoir of a Snail Parents' Guide
Grace blames herself for not saving enough money to see Gilbert. What other self-defeating behaviors does she develop? Why? What other options do you think the twins might have had?Home Video
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