Louise by the Shore

Louise, an old French widow, is thrown on her own resources in a Northern French seaside town deserted during the winter. While limited by her failing powers, she succeeds in creating a satisfying life for herself a la Robinson Crusoe. Memories of her childhood during WWII occasionally break into her solitary explorations of the beach and beach village where she is marooned by herself. The animation is perfectly attuned to the calm flavor of her personal subjectivity, which is the focus of the movie. In its own quiet way, this film is far more true to the realities of female old age than any of the terribly patronizing and hokey "old people" movies thrown off by Hollywood from time to time. (See, e.g., The Whales of August.) Warning: For those who need constant action in what they watch, this is a very slow movie and its slowness is perfectly, and successfully, attuned to the subject the creator has chosen.

The visuals somewhat bridge the gap between children's book illustrations and outright paintings, and are lovely and enchanting at every turn. This is very appropriate for a movie that's filled with such gentle whimsy, soft reflection, and playful meandering. I didn't know what it was I was getting into when I sat to watch, but this is wonderfully enchanting, sans major drama, in a way that so few pictures are any more. In a runtime of only seventy minutes filmmaker Jean-Francois Laguionie gives us unbothered ruminations on self-sufficiency and resourcefulness, aging, solitude, the bustle of modern life as contrasted with the earnest simplicity of just Being - and making peace with oneself. All this, wrapped up in a story that toys with the liminal space twixt dream, memory, and plain reality as the title character finds herself alone in a seaside resort. There's no other way to say it: 'Louise by the shore,' or 'Louise en hiver,' is fantastic!

The movie doesn't sound like much from the outside looking in; I freely admit the premise doesn't portend something that readily caught my eye. In fairness, with its light, delicate tone and thoughtful introspection, it's surely a title that would appeal to a relatively niche audience, those who are already receptive to works of such a nature. To overlook it on any basis is definitely a mistake, however, for this is pleasant and enticing in the most affable of ways, quietly but inexorably drawing us in with its tender weave of mellow, fanciful ponderings. Enriched with a smidgen of additional flavor by Pierre Kellner and Pascal Le Pennec with their tasteful original music, Laguionie has shaped a feature of unflagging warmth and laidback meditation, equal part storytelling and contemplation. And for those who are open to films of this kind, frankly 'Louise by the shore' is all but a must-see.

What more is there to say? After loving 2011's 'Le tableau' so dearly I should have known to expect great things in another animated effort from Laguionie, but still I'm so very pleased and impressed with what the man put together here. Only viewers of a particular age, or "maturity" if you will, will get the most out of this and appreciate it for all it has to offer, yet there is value and sincerity here far exceeding what the best multi-million dollar Hollywood romp could ever hope to afford. If you have the opportunity to watch, this is absolutely worth a mere seventy minutes of anyone's time. Bravo!

Review originally written on letterboxd. Some language is altered.

Louise by the shore is a gorgeous film. The visuals were breathtaking and the blend of all the different styles of animation was so seamless. During many moments of the narration I had a feeling that I'd seen something similar to this. It took me a bit to put it together but this is kinda similar to bergman's wild strawberries, just animated and far more excessable. There were many visual representations of louise's past memories/experiences and they were all done in such a fascinating way (that dance scene was especially gorgeous) and I absolutely loved it.

I don't want to spoil this in the slightest (literally NONE of the people i follow have seen this) but Louise befriends a very interesting specimen and It actually had me questioning how this was rated pg. Another thing this movie does is it absolutely goes for it in some scenes, and in other scenes it's extremely restrained (the stuff in the woods is a good example, trying to be as vague as possible) but it all served the narrative, and the feeling of sorrow this film provokes from the viewer extremly well.

Overall this movie is wonderful. Sorry if this review came off as rambling or didn't make sense in some parts, I haven't loved something so strongly this immediately in a while. Highly recommend and it's a shame so few people have seen this!

It's not technically perfect, but its limitations adapt masterfully to the subject matter - a story of old age, solitude, memories and making the most out of what you have. Which is exactly what the director did :) Not a movie for kids - unlike Up, another movie that tackles the circle of life, and another 10 in my book, this one requires a measure of introspection and life experience to fully appreciate.

The movie is slow but that's not the problem, it's calm and peaceful, all in all a relaxing experience. Not everything needs to be action-packed but there has to be a point in there somewhere, a lesson, a message. An old lady adjusts to life in solitude, seemingly forgotten by her family. She can't remeber them either apparently. Halfway through the movie starts delving into her past and here I thought we were getting somewhere, there was something above the starter story of life in a makeshift cabin. And then a year has passed, people returned to the beach and she remains there? They don't mind her and she doesn't mind them. Her past doesn't matter, nothing matters, we're living like this now.

Small pet-peeve ~ she HAS a full functioning home already and entire small beachside town at her disposal. She's not deserted on an island where survival is extremely hard. There is something in her acceptance of solitude and her old age (even if there are discarded eyeglasses, magazines and painting kits on this beach when she convinietly needs them) but that's about it. Also we never learn why nobody came. Does she even have a family?

The ending left me very confused and tad dissappointed making this whole viewing experience useless. The dog is cute.