‘Memoir of a Snail’: Sarah Snook Voices an Orphan Who Seeks Refuge With Mollusks in Moving Tragicomedy

Sandra Miska

A fine cast of Australian actors lend their voices to “Memoir of a Snail,” a moving stop-motion tragicomedy following a young woman, Grace Pudel (Sarah Snook), with an attachment to mollusks as life deals her with bad hand after bad hand. Following the death of her best friend, Grace gives an intimate account of life thus far to her favorite snail in her expansive collection, Sylvia, baring her soul to a creature whom she considers family.

Grace not only loves snails; she also identifies with them. A snail might seem like a strange animal for someone to be so attached to, but as Grace tells her story from the beginning, one can understand this devotion more and more. Her mother, who died giving birth to her and her twin brother, Gilbert (Kodi Smit-McPhee), was a malacologist, a scientist who studies mollusks. A snail’s shell can provide protection, but it also can be where he or she retreats from the world when needed, which is something Grace eventually does, hiding out with her books, menagerie of snails and guinea pigs, and items she has stolen for kicks.

But to best understand Grace, we have to start from her childhood in the 1970s in Melbourne. Although her father, a former juggler and animator who became a paraplegic when his wife was pregnant, loves her and Gilbert, he is an alcoholic who eventually drinks himself to an early grave. But the bigger tragedy is Grace being separated from Gilbert, her soulmate and protector, as the twins are shipped off to foster homes in opposite parts of the country. Grace lives with a pair of swingers who mostly ignore her, while Gilbert is placed with Christian extremists who exploit him.

Although “Memoir of a Snail” is an animated film with whimsical elements, as you can probably tell by now, it is not intended for young children. Grace’s existence becomes even more isolated as she ages out of foster care. By this point, she has abandoned her childhood dream of being an animator. The few bright spots in her life are her letters from Gilbert and her friendship with an eccentric older woman named Pinky (Jacki Weaver). Pinky volunteers her time holding the hands of the elderly, people at the end of their lives who crave contact with others. This is a dominant theme in this film, the importance of human connectivity. In Grace’s case, her longing for companionship proves to be a good thing when she befriends Grace, but a not-so-great thing when it comes to her romantic life.

Writer-director Adam Elliot does not shy away from the gloomy parts of being human, but “Memoir of a Snail” is, overall, a life-affirming film. Just when Grace and the viewer are about to be washed away by darkness, a light at the tunnel appears. The surrealism and whimsy that comes with the stop-motion animation style also prevents it from becoming too bleak. An animated film tackling so many adult issues is unique, and it is a worthwhile watch for adults. And parents of older children may want to consider overlooking some of its more mature themes, as there are important life lessons in Grace’s story from which young people can benefit.

“Memoir of a Snail” releases Oct. 25 in select theaters.