Alan in Belfast: Marcel The Shell With Shoes On – a marvellous critique on celeb culture and documentary making

Jenny Slate and Dean Fleischer-Camp’s feature extends a popular trilogy of shorts to flesh out the backstory of the googly-eyed sneaker-wearing anthropomorphic shell called Marcel. I’m sure young cinemagoers will appreciate the cuteness, but much of the film’s strength feels like it is squarely aimed at the adults in the room.

Marcel The Shell With Shoes On is a morose story of how it feels to be separated from family. The majority of the shell’s family left in a hurry one afternoon, leaving Marcel (voiced by Slate) to care for his ailing grandmother, Nana Connie. Into their home comes Dean, a separated documentary maker (voiced by Fleischer-Camp, Slate’s former husband, though the film’s plot predates the real world breakup) who begins to film Marcel, bringing the shell to the attention of the internet, late night TV hosts, and even the 60 Minutes show that the molluscs so loved to sit and watch together.

We see how Marcel and Connie have adapted to living without their extended family, overcoming their diminutive stature to find innovative ways of manipulating human-sized objects. Marcel is quite the philosopher, immensely quotable, and offering scathing critiques of social media influencers (“not quite the task force I was looking for”) and documentary makers (“have you ever thought that your life might be a bit less lonely, and a bit more integrated, if you took the time to connect with somebody, and not just make videos about them?”) and how we cope with isolation and grief.

The rituals of community are all there. A moment of reunion is incredibly touching, particularly following immediately after a very sensitively filmed (animated) scene of loss. Connection and solitude are both valued and enjoyed.

Animated films are often constructed to make you laugh. Marcel The Shell With Shoes On settles for being soulful, revelling in its melancholy worldview and simply getting up and keeping on with life no matter what’s thrown at the characters. It’s a beautiful film, but is unlikely to enjoy commercial success, perhaps illustrated by the fact it’s nearly disappeared from local cinemas. You’ll find final screenings tomorrow (Thursday 2 March) in the Strand Arts Centre and Dundonald Omniplex (which will bring you a freshly made delicious hotdog right to your seat mid-film if you pre-book one and they don’t have any ready).*

* This perk may only be available if you’re the sole audience member watching a film!