Releasing just a few weeks after Klaus, I Lost My Body serves as Netflix's sophomore animated original feature and their first significant play for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards. First debuting at 2019 Cannes Film Festival, I Lost My Body quickly made a name for itself and, clearly, the conversation around it was not just festival hype, as the film has become a front runner for critics groups despite not only being a foreign film but also going against huge competition like Toy Story 4 and Frozen 2. Where it seems unlikely this film will go all the way to win the award on Oscar night, it is clear to see why it is making the waves it currently is.

Naoufel (Hakim Faris) is a young man trying to find his place in the world, still haunted by the horrific events of his past. One night, while delivering pizza, he meets a girl named Gabrielle (Victoire Du Bois) and instantly they form a connection. Naoufel cannot shake Gabrielle from his mind and eventually tracks her down, becoming the apprentice to Gabrielle's friend Gigi (Patrick d'Assumçao) in his woodshop. The film cuts between the story of Naoufel during this time and in the future, after an accident he severs his hand with a saw. His hand ends up coming alive, eventually escaping the hospital where it is being kept and starts on a journey across the city to find Naoufel.

The first thing to stick out about the film, especially looking behind the scenes, is the animation in it. Where the film is being distributed by Netflix, is was made by the French company Xilam Animation. Xilam Animation has made multiple smaller children's tv shows and movies in the past but this serves as their first significant adult outing, though it is not overly clear to tell from the animation they put into the film.

Where some of the movements can be a bit choppy, the overwhelming majority of the animation is smooth and the city they build serves as a great visual backdrop. The creativity, especially for the adventure the hand goes on, really stood out as being well thought out and thinking outside the box. The obstacles the hand encounters not only all feel natural but adds a level of suspense and action to the film. This movie creates intense fights with rats and leaps of faith that will get audiences' hearts pumping and palms sweating. It is not afraid to play around with the visuals in these scenes, often incorporating unconventional uses of light and perspective.

I Lost My Body is unafraid to use visual symbols as a form of storytelling, mainly using things like a fly as a visual motif that gains more and more meaning as the film goes on. The score from Dan Levy is equally as impressive, conveying so much emotion within itself alone, mixing a traditionally powerful score with modern flairs of hip hop. When paired with the visuals, this piece of art takes on a considerable amount of meaning and heart, the perfect set up for the story it is trying to tell.

The main element that sets this film apart from nearly all other animated films this year would have to be its emotions. This is a profoundly impactful movie filled with raw emotions that haunts the audience even after the movie concludes; quiet and seemingly unimportant scenes quickly turn dark and heartbreaking. Naoufel is a character who, in many ways, is still running from his past and does not know how to deal with his emotions because of them. He finds that Gabrielle is someone he can talk to but the love he has for her is not mutual, causing him a tremendous amount of pain which beautifully comes through the quiet and almost whispery vocal performance by Hakim Faris.

This is one of those films that hurts to watch but is so engaging it is impossible to turn away from. For people who have the assumption that animation is just for kids, this is yet another great example to disprove that thought and show just how impactful animation can be as a medium. The only downside of the story would be some of the filler. There are scenes that serve little to no thematic purpose that makes the film feel a bit messy at times; at times, this does include the scenes with the hand. Where the intensity of these scenes stands out, questions of its purpose does come up and even by the end, they are never really explained.

Still, there is no denying the impact that I Lost My Body forms overall. It is a piece of media that is bold and experimental, creating a compelling and emotional tale unlike anything else to come out this year. Especially with the film readily available on NETFLIX, whether being an average fan of animation or not, this is an easy recommendation that might open some people's minds about the medium if they have not seen adult-oriented animated pieces before.

I Lost My Body is streaming exclusively on NETFLIX November 29th 2019

I Lost My Body (J'ai perdu mon corps)

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