Director: Claude Barras Studio: GKids Genre(s): Drama Rated: PG-13 (For thematic elements and suggestive material) |
When the movie begins, you sit down in your seat, bracing
yourself for an oddball comedy or weird arts film. Within five minutes a tragedy strikes and we
sit up in our seats, biting our nails and gripping the arm rest. The visuals have just done a perfect job of
setting up the life of a young boy name Icara, and his unexpected plight grabs
ahold of the audience in such a profound way we are on his side from the first
frame. From that point on the movie
becomes more tragic, more heartbreaking, and more hopeful as Icara (who prefers
to be called Zucchini for reasons I won’t spoil here) finds himself in an
orphanage, surrounded by other kids his age who have all lost their families in
different (but just as strange) ways.
For the brief amount of time we get with these kids, I felt I knew many
of them better than I did any of the members of the “Suicide Squad” (and with
half the running time to boot).
Despite only being 66 minutes in length, “My Life as a
Zucchini” goes through many ups and downs as our main character adjusts to his
new life, new friends, and comes to terms with the tragedy that he unwillingly
set in motion that would also be his saving grace. At one point a girl comes into the picture,
who has life wounds that are very different from his. They bond almost instantly, and we understand
why. This is a movie that understands
that strong bonds come not just from shared joy, but from shared pain. In a way, that is what all the kids in the
movie have in common: they are all hurting and doing the best they can to pick
themselves back up. If they can do it
together they might – just might – have a chance at being able to do so.
From where I sit, “My Life as a Zucchini” is the best movie
about personal tragedy and how it shapes us as human beings I’ve seen in many a
year. It is an experience I am unlikely
to forget. The title of the movie is
goofy and unlikely to attract much of an audience. Like the headlines I read about President
Trump, it reads like a self-parody. Keep
in mind though that headlines are attached to an article. Likewise, this title is attached to a
movie. And in both cases when you
actually take time to go beneath the headline, you can potentially find
something very substantial and worthy of great thought. “My Life as a Zucchini” is likely to falls
through the cracks of obscurity. It
brings me no pleasure to have to admit to that.
But for the few who are brave enough to seek it out they are going to
discover something wonderful and timeless.
For the rest…I hope the headline made you chuckle.
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| CONSUMER ADVICE |
Parents, there are two discussions of human reproduction, a (crude) drawn image of male and female nudity, and a some serious themes about death. Really though, if it weren't for the first two things, this would be an ideal movie to show kids to help them understand how life isn't always fair. Sort of shame in that regard, but I'll let you as the parent make that final call. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
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