Guaxuma: Review

26th October 2019

Guaxuma: A Cinematic Children’s Book For All Ages. By Brandon Topp.

Those of you who’ve had the pleasure of viewing Nara Normande’s animated short Guaxuma likely understand its massively successful festival run over the past two years. There are several things to celebrate when looking back on it as a viewer including: the variations of animation styles, the simple and powerful storytelling, and magnetic narration.

I’m going to take some time here to go into some detail on how its various features come together to make Guaxuma a singular film. If you haven’t seen it, there seems to be a Vimeo link that’s public in some regions of the world, but not all. So, maybe keep an eye out at local film festivals, or contact the production company Les Valseurs through their Vimeo.

Anyhow, here are a few things we loved about Guaxuma.

The Animation of Guaxuma

The combination of the animation, narration, and childhood tales made me feel as a viewer like a child having a book read to me. Perched up on some mystical auntie’s lap, I watched as the visual story unfolded in the form of stop-motion sand creatures who represented the main characters, black and white animations that appeared etched out of sand, and simple real-life photographs standing in sand.

The juxtaposition of these forms created a dreamlike experience that feels appropriate for all childhood tales. Our memories are embellished by romantic relationships, and the fading clarity of the environments in which we grew up in. Because this story is about friends growing up on a beach, the visual thread of sand throughout adds a literal texture that fills out the fantastical elements of the memory.

There’s even one specific moment where the narrator questions whether or not one of her memories are real, which makes it feel like these were purposeful connections made between the animations and the hazy experience of recalling youth. This is speculation, but the main point is that the film is visually beautiful, dynamic, and engaging in a totally original way.

GUAXUMA | Trailer from Les Valseurs on Vimeo.

Simple, Powerful Storytelling

Normally, especially as an American film fan, I notice that stories with narration typically have too much narration. Not in Guaxuma. Letting the visuals do a lot of the work, the narrator’s explanations are often stark, and ominous. They tell us enough to work out what’s going on, but never to the point where we could use less. In fact, it always keeps you hungry, wanting more.

There’s a sequence where we discover that the narrator’s best friend is sick, but it’s not said outright. Instead, it’s demonstrated by the narrator recalling a Japanese tradition of folding paper birds for loved ones who fall ill. This explanation is accompanied by imaginative visual origami sequences, setting up a story theme which pays off in a beautiful fashion for the film’s conclusion.

The narration isn’t the only simple form of storytelling in this piece. The various animation styles we’ve applauded here all take a toned-down approach to the medium. The sand-creatures have a Wallace & Gromit aesthetic, and the black-and-white sand drawings evoke some Shel Silverstein vibes. The effectiveness goes to show a stick-figure can be equally as moving as an intricate, photo-realistic drawing.

One More Round of Applause for the Narration

I already covered how the simplicity of the narration was appreciated, but I’ll close out this review by also commending the writing and delivery. The confident calm of the voice kept me engaged and attracted throughout watching. The soft delivery, and emotional rollercoaster we go on are both centered by this narrator, who goes on to deliver absolute chills with her unexpected Flaming Lips cover to welcome the credits.

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