Animation First Review: The Songbirds' Secret beautifully excavates the past

I've rarely seen a movie that I loved just looking at as much as The Songbirds' Secret, Antoine Lanciaux's gorgeous and gentle bit of familial excavation. The film's paper cut-out animation is immediately a joy to behold, the sort of thing where you want to pause each shot so you can take in every detail, savor all the textures and patterns. The way the characters move (especially the animals, of which there are many) is pure delight, a direct shot of joy aimed squarely at the heart. Certain parts of the world, like some trees and bushes, look like they were cut out of wallpaper, with exquisitely detailed patterns and designs marking a stunning contrast to the other elements around them. I felt positively giddy watching this movie, getting to spend time in this world. 

And if the film were only a success on this aesthetic level, it would be worth watching and celebrating. But it's much more than eye candy. This film is a lovely little adventure that finds young Lucie visiting her mother's hometown for the first time, and learning more about her ancestors, and thus herself, as she explores the surrounding countryside and makes new friends.

This movie is a little bit of a miracle, in that it's so cute, gentle, incredibly easy to watch. It's funny and silly, warm and wonderful. But it also has real meat on its bones, with strong storytelling muscle and a lot on its mind. It's weighty but never heavy. A masterful handling of tone.

The film begins with Lucy arriving to visit her mother, Caroline, in Bectoile. Caroline grew up here, and has some traumatic memories attached to the place, mostly tied to the tragic mill fire that reshaped her childhood, and set her life on a different trajectory than expected. While she doesn't like to dwell on her own past, Caroline works as an excavator at the ruins of an old castle that was destroyed during the war in retribution against the Count and Countess who lived there, and who housed Resistance fighters in the vast estate's hidden chambers.

Lucie is thrust into this world and, while she finds the castle ruins pretty interesting, she takes much more interest in untangling her own family history, as difficult as that can be when Caroline still carries those emotional and psychic scars in stoic silence. Like her mother trying to gain access to a newly-uncovered crypt, Lucie begins digging deeper into what happened to her ancestors, whoever they might be. What she finds is surprising and exciting, and deeply entwined in the village's history. What she might have imagined as a fun summer vacation surrounded by adorable animals becomes something deeper and more meaningful, a sort of coming-of-age that is fueled by curiosity, empathy, and love. 

I loved watching Lucie piece the mystery together, and loved watching her meet the locals even more. When a movie looks like this, it's a joy to meet any new character, to see their design, hear their voice, witness how they move through the world. We've got a particularly colorful cast here, especially with all the animal characters. Every time a new character came on screen, it felt like the new best moment of my movie-watching life. There's the sickly baby badger Lucie takes under her wing, with a nose as big as its face. Caroline's coworker Pierrot has a shaggy dog named Mandrin who is adorable, and becomes a constant fixture at Lucie's side. And the arguable breakout star of the whole shebang is Zerbinette, a most stubborn goose who has taken up residence in the neighbors' tractor's cabin, much to the chagrin of Lucie's new friend Yann, who needs the tractor to, you know, do actual work and get around.

I truly can't sing the praises of The Songbirds' Secret enough. Here is a movie that delivers on every level, and where each element feels like it's in complete harmony with every other. The gorgeous animation feels like a perfect representation of the film's thematic and narrative concerns, the paper layers asking to be peeled back and peeked under just as the characters are seeking to uncover more details and secrets of the world around them.  It's a joyous, buoyant adventure, big-hearted and exciting and just plain delightful to watch.

The Songbirds' Secret plays at Animation First tomorrow, February 8 at 2:00pm. There's also a Making Of panel with the film's set designer that same day at 3:45pm. The festival's full program can be found here.