I Lost My Body (2019)

A story of Naoufel, a young man who is in love with Gabrielle. In another part of town, a severed hand escapes from a dissection lab, determined to find its body again.

Director:

Jérémy Clapin

Writers:

Jérémy Clapin (adaptation), Guillaume Laurant (adaptation)

Stars:

Hakim Faris, Victoire Du Bois, Patrick d'Assumçao

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 29 wins & 49 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hakim Faris	...	Naoufel (voice)
Victoire Du Bois	...	Gabrielle (voice)
Patrick d'Assumçao	...	Gigi (voice)
Alfonso Arfi	...	Naoufel enfant (voice)
Hichem Mesbah	...	Le père (voice)
Myriam Loucif	...	La mère (voice)
Bellamine Abdelmalek	...	Raouf (voice)
Maud Le Guenedal	...	La bibliothécaire (voice) (as Maud Le Guénédal)
Nicole Favart	...	Madame Lussac (voice)
Quentin Baillot	...	Le patron de la pizzeria (voice)
Céline Ronté	...	La mère du bébé (voice)
Deborah Grall	...	La copine de Raouf (voice) (as Déborah Grall)
Pascal Rocher	...	Le pianiste aveugle (voice)
Bruno Hausler	...	L'automobiliste / L'éboueur (voice)
Jocelyn Veluire	...	Le commentateur de foot et reportage (voice)

Storyline

In a Parisian laboratory, a severed hand escapes its unhappy fate and sets out to reconnect with its body. During a hair-raising escapade across the city, the extremity fends off pigeons and rats alike to reunite with pizza boy Naoufel. Its memories of Naoufel and his love for librarian Gabrielle may provide answers about what caused the hand's separation, and a poetic backdrop for a possible reunion between the three. Based on Guillaume Laurant's novel "Happy Hand."

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Plot Keywords:

accident | fly | hand | disembodied hand | pizza delivery man | 

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Taglines:

An extraordinary journey in self-discovery.

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Genres:

Animation | Drama | Fantasy | Romance

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Did You Know?

Trivia

Marks the first time a feature-length animation has won prestigious Cannes parallel selection, Critics' Week Grand Prize.

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Quotes

Gabrielle: Once you've dribbled past fate, what do you do?
Naoufel: You try to keep away from it. You run blindly... and keep your fingers crossed.

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Connections

References The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

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Soundtracks

La Complainte du Soleil
Performed by Laura Cahen
Written by Laura Cahen and Dan Levy

User Reviews

Mesmerising animation let down by ending

I Lost My Body is a captivating watch thanks mainly to the incredibly textured animation, but unfortunately I felt a little let down by the narrative which just seemed to go nowhere with no obvious resolution. Told through present day and two different periods of flash back we follow the hand of Naoufel which is desperate to reconnect with its owner after an accident. Prior to his accident we are drip fed information that Naoufel has had a tumultuous upbringing losing his parents in a car accident, growing up with an unloving foster parent whilst working unsuccessfully as a pizza delivery man instead of his early ambition to be a pianist or astronaut. It resonates for sure (I wanted to be a pilot or illustrator growing up, neither fulfilled like Naoufel). But after a failed pizza delivery his focus is given clarity in the form of Gabrielle. All the narrative jumps back and forth to weave the narrative together but its in the final act when the timelines converge that unfortunately Director Jérémy Clapin gave me no satisfying closure. I don't mind ambiguity in a film but this just seemed to peeter out without resolution. Undeniably the animation is mesmerising. Every frame is wonderfully drawn with texture on every surface, unlike many animated films which solely rely on one layer of shading to give form to a 2D image. The movement of the hand is also superb giving it a personality of its own as it goes on an urban assault course, avoiding both human and animal peril in order to find it's host. The music by Dan Levy is also brilliant and almost hypnotic adding atmosphere to the proceedings. Although not a perfect film I Lost My Body is a beautifully crafted animated film that might be more rewarding on repeat viewings but initially is somewhat of a disappointment due to it's ending.

Details

Official Sites:

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Cinéma [France] Netflix [United States]

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

15 November 2019 (USA)

Also Known As:

I Lost My Body

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,136,431

Company Credits

Production Co:

Xilam, Auvergne Rhône-Alpes Cinéma, SofiTVciné 6

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1