My Life as a Zucchini - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

My Life As a Zucchini

Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score: ​

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Movie
The title alone should make a few of your raise an eyebrow and cock your head to the side with a question mark hanging over it. Maybe more so when you find out the name of our protagonist is actually called Zucchini as well. Well, it may be a bit of a strange name for a child, but it fits right in with this strange little slice of life tale that delves into some pretty deep and dark issues regarding growing up as an orphaned child in France. While it may seem like a children’s film on the outside, what’s inside is much more complex and deep, although it really is as simple as can be. Claude Barras’ use of stop motion photography and the childish nature used in the stylistic choice are used to contrast the innocence of childhood and the harshness of reality in spectacular ways. There’s a few flaws here and there, and the film sometimes feels a bit truncated, but My Life as a Zucchini is a heartwarming story that leaves you with a wistful smile upon the face after the credits roll.

We’re introduced to “Zucchini” early on in the film (he’s really a little boy named Icare) as his drunken mother is accidentally killed in a tragic accident that is kind of Zucchini’s fault. Being that his father is nowhere to be found (he appears to have been a philanderer, as we’re clued in by the young boy’s naïve interpretations of his mother’s words) the kid is put into the foster system and sent to a halfway house where he given a place to stay. There is finds out that he’s not the only one with a tragic past. Simon is the brutal leader of the group whose mother doesn’t really care about him (there’s a heartbreaking scene where Simon is hoping against hope that a letter from his mother has an actual note for him, but it’s just the cold of an mp3 without any real love), then there’s the Ahmed, whose father was a felon trying to buy him shoes. A victim of sexual molestation (it’s only hinted about, but those who know what to look for in the children’s innocent words will know the telltale signs), a parentless child due to deportation laws, and then there’s Camille. The new girl who shows up right after Zucchini with her own heartbreaking secrets.

The story is less of your standard 3 section plot, but rather a smooth flowing slice of life tale that wanders around as we see the young children interact and form bonds of love and friendship. It’s not a whimsical tale, but rather one that balances a tightrope between the melancholy and sweetness that comes out of tragedy. Even though there is a lot of pain and suffering in Zucchini and Camille’s lives (actually ALL of the kids there have been dealt a rough hand in life), there is a warm light at the end of the tunnel that promises that things CAN get better, even in the harshest of poker hands that life deals out.

Barras weaves a loose tale of love and friendship that is best realized through the characters themselves. Each of the characters, no matter how small, has a unique way of tugging at your heartstrings with their stories and choices. Camille and Zucchini are the obvious ones, but even the headmistress and the police officer, or even Rosy, all have their contributions to that warm and happy feeling in the end. There’s a few points where you realize that not EVERY adult is this kind and well wishing, but this is a fantasy, and part of the fantasy is always looking for the best in things.




Rating:

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements and suggestive material




Video:

My Life as a Zucchini was shot using traditional stop motion techniques with a Canon digital camera, and the results are nothing short of amazing. At first I was sure they were just using digital animation to make it LOOK like stop motion effects, but those effects were just so realistic that I had to see what they did. Lo and behold it’s as authentic as can be, and the use of digital photography with the clay figures looks incredible. You can see every hand drawn line on the children’s faces, and the luscious colors that Barras employs is heavily saturated and incredibly brilliant. Ironically all of the bright colors act as a foil for all of the darkness in the story itself, but a visually enticing foil that is definitely pleasing to the eyes. Shadow detail is consistent and well defined with good black levels, and I couldn’t find any artifacting whatsoever in the 68 minute film.





Audio:

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix is pretty simple, but very effective for the short film. It’s a dialog centric film that spends most of the time in the center channel with mild ambient effects filling out the mains and surrounds here and there. The score is soft and winding, suing all 6 channels with ease, but actually being a little bit more subdued than I was expecting. LFE can pop up here and there with some of the musical beats, or with the slamming of a car door. However, other than that it’s a fairly front heavy movie that relies on the dialog for the brunt of the heavy lifting. It’s not a knock against the track. It does everything asked of it with ease, it just isn’t going to be a rousing action track with a lot of 3 dimensionality.
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Extras:

• The Making of My Life as a Zucchini
• The Genie in a Tin of Ravioli
• U.S. Trailer
• Also from Gkids

Final Score: ​

My Life as a Zucchini is different than your average Gkids film, but it is a sweet and endearing story about a young boy and some of the most important experiences in his life regarding true family. Claude Barras is to be commended for making a film that really tugs at the heartstrings while engages the viewer with more depth than originally expected from just perusing the trailer. The use of traditional stop motion photography adds a unique flair to the film, and works wonderfully to the adult audience (which this was aimed at) who grew up with that type of film making years and years ago. The Blu-ray itself sounds and looks great, and while the extras are a bit on the trim side, the film itself more than makes up for that lack. Recommended as a great watch.



Technical Specifications:

Starring: Gaspard Schlatter, Sixtine Murat, Paulin Jaccoud
Directed by: Claude Barras
Written by: Gilles Paris (Story), Celine Sciamma (Screenplay)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, French DTS-HD MA 5.1
Studio: Universal
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 68 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: May 23rd, 2017

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• Michael Scott
• May 11, 2017

Recommendation: Great Watch