Fans of the awkward moments in Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Office will likely get a kick out of Jean-Paul Guigue and Dimitri Planchon’s adult animated film BLAISE.
Carole (Léa Drucker), Jacques (Jacques Gamblin), and their teenage son Blaise (Timéo) are all conformists who don’t want to offend anyone and just want to be liked. They each have their own storylines that sometimes intersect. A series of misunderstandings and bad decisions lead to absurdly funny results.
The film is based on a comic, which was also turned into a TV series, but you don’t need to be familiar with either to enjoy it. It stands on its own. Guigue and Planchon use paper cut-outs that are slightly out of proportion to create a semi-realistic look that goes hand in hand with the silliness of the material.
The script throws these oblivious characters into the center of political unrest and takes some dark, unexpected turns. It offers some social commentary, but the humor is always at the forefront.
After Cannes, Blaise will screen at Annecy next. Beyond animation enthusiasts, anyone up for a wild comedy should seek it out.
