Attila Marcel review

Chomet rides into live-action

Why you can trust 12DOVE Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

The imaginative whimsy of Belleville Rendez-Vous and The Illusionist is both present and correct in Sylvain Chomet’s live-action debut, a gentle charmer with dark elements in which music plays a pivotal role.

So does the mutely expressive Guillaume Gouix, on double duty as both the silent piano prodigy trying to unlock repressed memories and the wrestler father he suspects had a hand in his mother’s death. Tuneful flashbacks supply fantastical punctuation to a film that sees Chomet pay elaborate homage to everyone from Jacques Demy to Marcel Proust.

Freelance Writer

Neil Smith is a freelance film critic who has written for several publications, including Total Film. His bylines can be found at the BBC, Film 4 Independent, Uncut Magazine, SFX Magazine, Heat Magazine, Popcorn, and more.