ANNECY 2024: Most Precious of Cargoes Review
Opening Annecy festival this year is Most Precious of Cargoes, the animated feature debut of Michel Hazanavicius, perhaps best known in the west as the director of The Artist the multi-Academy Award winning live action silent film that swept the awards scene in the early 2010’s.
Whilst his previous or subsequent films have not been met with the same international acclaim, Hazanavicius returns to the feature world with Most Precious of Cargoes which garnered critical praise at Cannes where it was in the running for the Palme d’Or. Based on the 2019 novel of the same name by Jean-Claude Grumberg (who serves as screenwriter alongside the director), the film tells the story of a childless woodcutter and his wife finding a baby that has been thrown from a train bound for the Auschwitz concentration camp and into the snowy forrest.
A synopsis for a film, animated or otherwise doesn’t really get much more compelling than that does it?
Whilst the cargo itself is a central part of the film, the young child is not a main character, instead the story opts to explore the impact that an abandoned jewish baby has on a remote, rural community on the outskirts of Auschwitz at the height of the war.
Racism and intolerance is a key issue for the couple who have suffered parental loss before the babies arrival, but as the husband is influenced by anti Semitic propaganda he refuses to house one of the ‘heartless’ in his home. It’s in this relationship that we see the director play with the gradient between darkness and light-heartedness as this mountainous grump gradually melts into a protective father-figure. Likewise the enduring presence of the mother and her dogmatic faith and tenacious and resourceful attitude push her beyond the realm of simply being a ‘mum’.
The design of the film works well. A CGI film wishing to be a graphic novel that animation fans should find no offence with and live action film fans will appreciate for the clarity of acting as the director spends a great deal of the film playing with silence and character performance. Given the subject matter, there are also moments where the character are replaced by nightmarish visions that push the simple illustrated style into horrifying contortions that remind the audience of the power and importance of using illustration and animation to present these stories and ideas. It is in these moments where, in lieu of words, the design, subtle acting and soaring music by Alexandre Desplat all come together to deliver a devastating animated tour de force that puts the film firmly in the realm of masterpiece. It’s moments like this that will stay with the audience long after viewing.
Whilst Hazanavicius is primarily known outside of France for his comedic work, there is no misunderstanding with this film. Here we see a portrait of humanity, for all of it’s good and all of its evil. Most Precious of Cargoes reminds the audience of the power of animation, the need for empathy and understanding and begs the audience to not repeat the mistakes of the past.