Reminiscent of Black Beauty—though more existential and dreamlike—this French multimedia animation from Romanian director Anca Damian chases the memories of a dog on her deathbed. Damian and her skilled production crew take a simplistic vision of a dog’s life and execute it with remarkable nuance and sophisticated technique.
Marona’s Fantastic Tale relates the story of a dog, Marona (Lizzie Brocheré), who also has several other names. She recalls the short time she spent with her mother and eight siblings, how she was named Nine for being the last born. Each significant character she meets in her life has a definable drawn trait about them.
She falls in love with her first owner, Manole (Bruno Salomone), a kind and aspirational acrobat characterized by sweeping lines and long, stretchy limbs. Torn from him by circumstance (and each owner thereafter), she next meets a truck driver, his mother, and his fiancee, all from whom she learns that kindness can be conditional. It’s with a little girl, Solange (Shirelle Mai-Yvart), that we think Marona may find her permanent home. But the little dog finds that people are changeable as Solange grows into a teenager (Maïra Schmitt) more interested in her own world than Marona’s.
There isn’t an extraordinary plot to drive the narrative, but this character-driven story doesn’t really need one. Every person Marona meets reveals a new aspect of humanity and complicates the dog’s relationship to the wider world, while each scene tugs at the heartstrings in its own unique way. The film presents its lessons to us through its lessons to Marona, ultimately revealing that goodness is inseparable from evil.
A lot of the beauty of the film comes from Marona’s poetic narration as she looks back on her life, though this device will be lost on most younger viewers. The entire production is visually stunning as well, imagined like children’s drawings the way they envision them to be—and it’s all accompanied by a dazzling original score by Pablo Pico.
Marona’s Fantastic Tale is a brilliant film that will, unfortunately, struggle to find its audience. While it doesn’t quite serve its target viewers, it offers some poignant reflections and a highly artistic vision. Highly recommended for foreign language shelves. Aud: I, J, H, P.