Two of those who healed the entire village of prejudices – review of the film “Luca”

A fish jumps out of the water

The title Luca is a resolute young man who is curious about the world. He lives in an underwater village, spending his days exploring the nearby nooks and crannies, grazing fish and carefully observing ape-like creatures. Luca doesn’t know much about the world on the other side of the water – just that the land is inhabited by monsters, and the likes of him – tailed creatures covered in colored scales – are not very welcome there. The problem is that both the bald monkeys and the strange objects they drop at the bottom of the sea fascinate Luca. So when she meets Alberto – a gentleman like him, who not only knows everything about pale monsters, but also spends most of the day on the surface, Luca is seduced by the spirit of adventure and begins to explore the dry land more and more boldly. The boys will spend an unforgettable holiday in the fishing town,

Let this moment last!

Enrico Casarosa makes his directorial debut; so far he has signed with his name only the short animated film La Luna , for which he was nominated for an Oscar. However, certain common points of both works can already be noticed. Casarosa does not put emphasis on introspective, in-depth psychological and philosophical deliberations (which we have recently been given by the stories from Pete Docter, In My Head and What’s in the Soul ), instead focusing on a relatively simple, but extremely warm adventure story about the challenges of growing up and childhood friendship. The visual and thematic inspirations are also clear. The classic hits from the portfolio of Disney and Pixar studios – Little Mermaid and seem quite an obvious associationWhere is Nemo . In search of somewhat less obvious clues, however, it is worth turning to the Far East – Japan. The influence of the Ghibli * studio can be seen not only in the visual layer of the film (although Luca is a computer-generated animation, stylistic similarities can be seen with the naked eye), but also in the philosophy of creation. Casarosa, like Hayao Miyazaki, uses a fantastic story, while paying attention to ordinary, even routine things. Luca’s fresh gaze, just getting to know the land realities, also makes us – blase land rats – see beauty in what seems completely inconspicuous.

It should be noted that the relative simplicity of production does not mean that it is a shallow story. Once again, Pixar’s golden formula works well, prescribing complex issues such as prejudices against otherness, discovering one’s own identity, desire for acceptance, searching for one’s place in society, storytelling in an accessible language, understandable for both children and adults. Casarosa does not stupefy, but also does not moralize, leaving the viewer free – additional contexts are outlined in a subtle, non-intrusive manner; those who want to look for them will surely find them. For the rest, Luca has to offer an hour and a half of great fun.

Blue sea, singing birds

In terms of animation, Pixar has been playing in a league of its own for years. The fishing town is alive (although this time the creators did not pursue the photorealistic accuracy presented in What in the soul game); the surface of the water sparkles in the sun, curly hair waves in the wind. For obvious reasons, Luca’s underwater house and the appearance of sea creatures seem much more fancy. The animation of boys’ smooth transition from human to “fish” form is particularly impressive as soon as they come into contact with moisture. The same applies to the soundtrack accompanying the pictures. Although we will not find a catchy leitmotif that would stay in our heads for a long time, the characteristic spitting on the mandolin and the whole range of Italian hits give the animation a truly holiday atmosphere. Santa Mozarella! You would like to sit down with a cup of espresso, soak your feet in the warm sea, and in the evening please your tummy with a bowl of steaming pasta …

In his full-length debut, Enrico Casarosa takes viewers to the times and places of his childhood. Luca is a praise of children’s curiosity, a story celebrating all sorts of otherness and diversity, teaching the difficult art of acceptance without pomposity and bland didacticism. Go to the cinema – I guarantee you will start looking for other flights right after the screening. For example, to Italy.

* It is no coincidence that the director placed the action in a small fishing town of Portorosso. It is worth recalling that the English-language title of Miyazaki ‘s Scarlet Pilot is … Porco Rosso .

See the movie Luca in the Cinema City cinema network!