13 Dec 2017
Director: Claude Barras
Switzerland, France
2016
66 min
Claude Barras brings us a little miracle of gentleness, tenderness and intense, traditional Frenchness in this beguiling story about Icare, a little boy fond of kites and nicknamed Courgette. A terrible accident means that he is taken to a care home in the country where everyone has a grim, secret story and Courgette is an instant target for bullying. The growing awareness of the children that no one really wants them manifests itself in all sorts of tough behaviour but, after a rough start, Courgette makes friends with Simon and Camille. A film about childhood that doesn’t treat viewers like children, this remarkable stop-motion animation captures the hard knocks and innocent pleasures of early life better than most live-action films.
Nominated Animated Feature Film Oscar 2017