The Illusionist

The Illusionist (2010) in many ways leaves you with a warm feeling. It is sad at times, but lighthearted at others. The relationship between the man and the girl is interesting, but not entirely clear. Granted, we only watched about half of the film, and if I had seen the remainder, I possibly would have understood their relationship better, but from what I saw it was somewhat puzzling to me. I did not understand why they were drawn to each other. I suppose that the man saw the girl in some sort of a paternal way, but I did not get the feeling that the girl felt the same way. It was just not clear to me why she wanted to be with him other than the fact that he seemed to be a nice guy.

As charming as the film could be, it seemed to be repetitive and in some ways lack direction. The man would go someplace, try to perform, and (sooner or later) have to move on because he was too “old-fashioned,” and people were not interested in his performance. I understand that the film was trying to get at the idea that the old is being undermined by the flash of the new, but the film seemed to focus on that idea and not go anywhere with it.

While there are parts of the film that are either confusing or frustrating, the film as a whole was enjoyable. The visuals are based in reality, but there is a certain wonder to the world. The animation style provides the characters with a certain elasticity in their movement, while not taking it so far that they seem detached from the world that we know. This film is definitely one that I will be interested to see the remainder of.