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I Lost My Body

From Alfawiki
I Lost My Body
Company typeAnimated film
IndustryFilm
Founded2019
FounderJérémy Clapin (director)
ProductsAnimated feature film
ParentXilam Animation, Netflix Animation

I Lost My Body () is a 2019 French animated fantasy drama aimed at adult audiences, directed by Jérémy Clapin and based on Guillaume Laurant's novel Happy Hand. The film debuted in the Critics' Week segment of the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, where it earned the Nespresso Grand Prize, becoming the first animated feature to receive this honor in that category. Additionally, it was shortlisted for Best Animated Feature at the 92nd Academy Awards.

Plot

A detached hand escapes from a laboratory refrigerator and embarks on a journey through the outskirts of Paris to reunite with its owner, Naoufel. His narrative is revealed through a series of flashbacks.

As a child living in Morocco, Naoufel aspires to be both a pianist and an astronaut, capturing moments of his daily life on a tape recorder. During a car trip, his distraction causes an accident that results in the death of his parents. Orphaned, he relocates to France to live with an emotionally distant uncle and a rough cousin.

In adulthood, Naoufel works as a pizza delivery driver and frequently receives warnings for tardiness. When delivering a pizza to Gabrielle, he is unable to enter her building; they communicate via intercom, sparking his fascination with her. He follows Gabrielle to the library where she works and then to her uncle Gigi, who is a carpenter. Using an old apprenticeship advertisement as pretext, Naoufel persuades Gigi—albeit hesitantly—to take him on after revealing his orphan status. He moves into an attic apartment provided by Gigi and begins learning carpentry while developing feelings for Gabrielle, though he never discloses their initial meeting.

After discussing the Arctic region, Naoufel constructs a wooden igloo on a rooftop as a gift for Gabrielle. One day upon returning home, he discovers his cousin speaking with Gabrielle and learns they have both been invited to a party. At the gathering, Naoufel escorts Gabrielle to the rooftop where they converse about destiny; he wonders if performing an unexpected act—such as jumping from the roof onto a crane—could alter fate. He admits their first encounter during his pizza delivery, which upsets Gabrielle who suspects he manipulated Gigi to get closer to her. She leaves in anger. Feeling rejected, Naoufel remains at the party alone, becomes involved in a drunken altercation, and injures himself at work the following morning by accidentally severing his hand on a bandsaw while distracted.

Returning to the present timeline, the severed hand reaches Naoufel’s bed but fails to reattach itself and hides beneath it. Depressed, Naoufel listens to old recordings of his parents using his tape recorder. Gigi attempts to contact him but is unsuccessful. Gabrielle visits and finds his room empty; inside a cupboard she discovers an igloo made from sugar cubes crafted by the severed hand. Searching the rooftop igloo, she uncovers Naoufel’s abandoned tape recorder containing a new recording that reveals he jumped onto the crane as planned, erasing the tape capturing his parents’ fatal crash.

In a concluding flashback following the jump, Naoufel lies atop the crane smiling at the city below while his severed hand retreats into the snow.

Voice cast

Character French English dub
Naoufel Hakim Faris Dev Patel
Gabrielle Victoire Du Bois Alia Shawkat
Gigi Patrick d'Assumçao George Wendt
Young Naoufel Alphonse Arfi Tucker Chandler
The Father Hichem Mesbah Anouar H. Smaine
The Mother Myriam Loucif Sarah Lynn Dawson
Raouf Bellamine Abdelmalek Jonny Mars
Mrs. Lussac Nicole Favart Barbara Goodson
Baby's Mother Céline Ronté Tara Sands

Release

Following its debut at Cannes in May 2019, Netflix secured global distribution rights for the film, with the exception of France, Turkey, China, and the Benelux countries.

In France, the movie premiered on 6 November 2019 through Rezo Films. Additionally, Netflix facilitated theatrical showings in selected territories, including the United States on 15 November and the United Kingdom on 22 November.

Box office

I Lost My Body generated $1,106,777 in revenue within France and $29,654 in Turkey, resulting in a worldwide total of $1,136,431.

Critical reception

The film boasts a 97% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes alongside an 81 out of 100 score on Metacritic, indicating widespread critical praise.

Jordan Mintzer from The Hollywood Reporter characterized it as "an exceptionally original and heartfelt portrayal of loss." Peter Debruge of Variety described it as "among the most inventive and imaginative animated films," commending its blend of dark themes with poetic storytelling.

Accolades

Award Ceremony Date Category Recipient(s) Outcome References
Critics' Week 22 May 2019 Nespresso Grand Prize Jérémy Clapin Template:Won [1]
Annecy International Animated Film Festival 15 June 2019 Cristal for a Feature Film Template:Won Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
Audience Award/Première Template:Won
Detroit Film Critics Society Awards 9 December 2019 Best Animated Feature I Lost My Body Template:Nominated Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
San Diego Film Critics Society 9 December 2019 Best Animated Film I Lost My Body Template:Won Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
Critics Choice Awards 12 January 2020 Best Animated Feature I Lost My Body Template:Nominated Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
Los Angeles Film Critics Association 12 January 2020 Best Animated Film Jérémy Clapin Template:Won
Best Music Score Dan Levy Template:Won
American Cinema Editors 17 January 2020 Best Edited Animated Feature Film Benjamin Massoubre Template:Nominated Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
Annie Award 25 January 2020 Best Animated Feature — Independent Xilam, Netflix Animation Template:Won Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name

|- |Outstanding Achievement for Music in an Animated Feature Production || Dan Levy || |- |Outstanding Achievement for Writing in an Animated Feature Production || Jérémy Clapin and Guillaume Laurant || |- |- | Academy Awards || 92nd Academy Awards (9 February 2020) || Academy Award for Best Animated Feature || Jérémy Clapin and Marc du Pontavice || || align=center | Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name |- |- | rowspan="3" |César Award || rowspan="3" |28 February 2020 ||Best Animated Film || rowspan="3" |I Lost My Body || || rowspan="3" |Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name |- |- ||Best Original Score || |- |- ||Best Adapted Screenplay || |- }

External links

  1. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Nespresso
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