A man is shipwrecked on a deserted island and encounters a red turtle, which changes his life.
Surrounded by the immense and furious ocean, a shipwrecked mariner battles for his life with the relentless towering waves. On the brink of demise, eventually, the man will find himself washed ashore on a deserted tropical island of sandy beaches, timid animal inhabitants, and a gracefully swaying bamboo forest. Alone, famished, yet determined to break free from this Eden-like prison, the stranded sailor summons up the strength to build a small raft, and sets off on a perilous journey in the wide open sea; however, an indistinguishable adversary prevents him from escaping. Never giving up hope, each day, the exhausted man attempts to make a new, sturdier, and more improved raft; nevertheless, the sea is vast with wonderful and mysterious creatures, and the island's only red turtle won't let the weary survivor escape that easily. Could this be the heartless enemy?
So beautifully filmed, directed and designed that it didn’t need dialogue at all (it literally doesn’t exist) to hit viewers straight in the soul. This fantastic story illustrates the complete life cycle and what it represents in itself. From sadness, loneliness, frustration and hopeless agony to endless love, happiness, maturation and parting. The acclaimed Dutch animator Michael Dudok de Wit, after a series of exceptional short cartoons (for the brilliant "Father and Daughter" he won an Oscar in 2000, among other awards), dared to make a feature film inspired by Japanese animation and hit it off again. The beautiful story and outstanding animation are a real lure for the audience, and among the many awards that the film won, we will especially highlight the award at Cannes 2016.
