I Lost My Body (J'ai perdu mon corps) is an excellent 2019 animated film from director Jérémy Clapin which tells a tale of how loss can lead to personal growth and forgiveness.
Reader, please note that this review contains spoilers for the film. You have been warned!
Naoufel's story is told from two perspectives; one in flashbacks, retelling his past, and another from his present. However, what makes I Lost My Body a truly unique viewing experience is that the present storyline is told from the perspective of Naoufel's severed hand.
The film focuses heavily on the theme of loss. Whether this is physical, in the case of Naoufel's hand, or emotional through the loss of his parents, this film expertly shows how someone can lose that which is valuable to them but still grow and become a better person.
Naoufel (Dev Patel) is at a low-point when we meet him. He works in a dead-end pizza delivery job and lives with his emotionally disconnected uncle and crass cousin. However, a fateful meeting over intercom with Gabrielle (Alia Shawkat) changes his life for the better, eventually.
Naoufel very quickly becomes infatuated with Gabrielle, and tracks down her place of work in a pretty stalker-like manner; but I understand that romance often trumps creepiness in cinema, so let's move on.
He eventually follows her to Gigi's (George Wendt) workshop but is caught out by Gabrielle who asks what he is doing there. Naoufel is able to use a nearby apprenticeship advert to explain away his presence.
Despite this apparent last-minute save, he realises that he really does want this opportunity to achieve drive and focus in not just his work, but his life as well.
Gigi's initial reluctance to accept him disappears once he realises that Naoufel is an orphan. This suggests that Gabrielle may have lost her parents too, causing her to be closer with her uncle. It's a small detail in the film, but one that shows someone who has experienced loss helping someone he can sympathise with.
Naoufel's toxic home environment is revealed when he tells his uncle that he is leaving and moving into the apartment provided by the apprenticeship. He is visibly nervous, even scared, to speak to a man who we barely see move. Thankfully, Naoufel makes his escape and begins to work and learn with Gigi in the workshop.
Whilst this storyline is playing out, we are greeted with the beautifully animated 'hand scenes'. The low-down perspective granted by the hand leads to brilliant visual storytelling and a few nail-biting scenes as it traverses across the Parisian landscape.
The best scene (of many) is the stand-off with a pack of rats in the subway station. The hand quickly becomes overwhelmed by rats who see it as their next meal, showing how vulnerable it is.
However, the hand uses a cigarette lighter to fend off the pack. This enables the hand to make its escape on the back of a passing train, after which I audibly breathed a sigh of relief.
There are so many brilliant scenes where the hand makes its way around Paris, desperately searching for Naoufel to reattach itself to; strongly playing into the central theme of loss. The hand is practically running across Paris shouting "I Lost My Body!", and it offers an excellent change of pace from the dialogue-heavy past storyline.
As Naoufel works in with Gigi he becomes closer with Gabrielle. The two of them share a conversation about living in the North Pole, and Naoufel, using his newly gained woodworking skills, constructs the two of them a wooden igloo atop an abandoned skyscraper.
It's a wonderful scene which is sadly cut short when Naoufel reveals who he is by re-delivering the pizza that caused him and Gabrielle to cross paths. Naturally, she is furious and storms off leaving Naoufel in an igloo cold with emotion instead of ice and snow.
Naoufel's decision to tell Gabrielle this way is not the most thought-out plan, and her response is more than reasonable.
Naoufel appears to have an issue with processing loss, and tries to escape his worries by attending a party hosted by his cousin. He drinks excessively to forget the pain, but after starting a fight with a partygoer he is kicked out.
We now find ourselves where a hungover Naoufel chases a fly and ultimately loses his hand to a running bandsaw. It's a toe (and finger) curling scene that brings the story full-circle.
I honestly did not expect Naoufel to survive this ordeal during my first viewing, believing that this film was more of a tragedy than one of hope. Fortunately, Gigi finds him and takes him to hospital which saves his life.
Naoufel has now experienced physical and emotional loss, so retreats into himself and to his room. During this time his hand finally makes it home. However, when it tries to reattach itself, Naoufel turns away, leaving it separated from him, showing that he is trying to move away from his painful past.
Gabrielle eventually visits Naoufel, but finds his room empty so makes her way to the wooden igloo which is now covered in a layer of snow. On the roof she finds an audio recorder Naoufel used a kid.
The recorder symbolically represents Naoufel's shame, regret and inability to move on from the past. As a child he had used it record the sounds around him, but accidentally caused the crash which took the lives of his parents by pointing out the window.
He listened to this harrowing audio earlier in the film; but he now makes the decision to record over it, forgiving himself and moving on.
I love that he wipes away the pain he has carried with him for so many years. What made it especially impactful was that he immediately made the perilous jump across to the crane. He pushes himself to change his destiny, alter fate and chart his own course in life - no longer tied down by his past.
I am happy to say that I Lost My Body has seen a great deal of recognition. It received a nomination at the Academy Awards for Best Animated Picture, and saw victory at several other awards nights.
I was also surprised to find out that this film is actually based off a book; Happy Hand (Cadre Rouge) by Guillaume Laurant. I might look for an English-translated edition to see how it measures up.
This is a truly unique film that uses the outlandish tale of a severed hand travelling across Paris to illustrate that through loss we can all grow, move on and improve as people.
Reader, please note that this review contains spoilers for the film. You have been warned!
Naoufel's story is told from two perspectives; one in flashbacks, retelling his past, and another from his present. However, what makes I Lost My Body a truly unique viewing experience is that the present storyline is told from the perspective of Naoufel's severed hand.
The film focuses heavily on the theme of loss. Whether this is physical, in the case of Naoufel's hand, or emotional through the loss of his parents, this film expertly shows how someone can lose that which is valuable to them but still grow and become a better person.
Naoufel (Dev Patel) is at a low-point when we meet him. He works in a dead-end pizza delivery job and lives with his emotionally disconnected uncle and crass cousin. However, a fateful meeting over intercom with Gabrielle (Alia Shawkat) changes his life for the better, eventually.
Naoufel very quickly becomes infatuated with Gabrielle, and tracks down her place of work in a pretty stalker-like manner; but I understand that romance often trumps creepiness in cinema, so let's move on.
He eventually follows her to Gigi's (George Wendt) workshop but is caught out by Gabrielle who asks what he is doing there. Naoufel is able to use a nearby apprenticeship advert to explain away his presence.
Despite this apparent last-minute save, he realises that he really does want this opportunity to achieve drive and focus in not just his work, but his life as well.
Gigi's initial reluctance to accept him disappears once he realises that Naoufel is an orphan. This suggests that Gabrielle may have lost her parents too, causing her to be closer with her uncle. It's a small detail in the film, but one that shows someone who has experienced loss helping someone he can sympathise with.
Naoufel's toxic home environment is revealed when he tells his uncle that he is leaving and moving into the apartment provided by the apprenticeship. He is visibly nervous, even scared, to speak to a man who we barely see move. Thankfully, Naoufel makes his escape and begins to work and learn with Gigi in the workshop.
Whilst this storyline is playing out, we are greeted with the beautifully animated 'hand scenes'. The low-down perspective granted by the hand leads to brilliant visual storytelling and a few nail-biting scenes as it traverses across the Parisian landscape.
The best scene (of many) is the stand-off with a pack of rats in the subway station. The hand quickly becomes overwhelmed by rats who see it as their next meal, showing how vulnerable it is.
However, the hand uses a cigarette lighter to fend off the pack. This enables the hand to make its escape on the back of a passing train, after which I audibly breathed a sigh of relief.
There are so many brilliant scenes where the hand makes its way around Paris, desperately searching for Naoufel to reattach itself to; strongly playing into the central theme of loss. The hand is practically running across Paris shouting "I Lost My Body!", and it offers an excellent change of pace from the dialogue-heavy past storyline.
As Naoufel works in with Gigi he becomes closer with Gabrielle. The two of them share a conversation about living in the North Pole, and Naoufel, using his newly gained woodworking skills, constructs the two of them a wooden igloo atop an abandoned skyscraper.
It's a wonderful scene which is sadly cut short when Naoufel reveals who he is by re-delivering the pizza that caused him and Gabrielle to cross paths. Naturally, she is furious and storms off leaving Naoufel in an igloo cold with emotion instead of ice and snow.
Naoufel's decision to tell Gabrielle this way is not the most thought-out plan, and her response is more than reasonable.
Naoufel appears to have an issue with processing loss, and tries to escape his worries by attending a party hosted by his cousin. He drinks excessively to forget the pain, but after starting a fight with a partygoer he is kicked out.
We now find ourselves where a hungover Naoufel chases a fly and ultimately loses his hand to a running bandsaw. It's a toe (and finger) curling scene that brings the story full-circle.
I honestly did not expect Naoufel to survive this ordeal during my first viewing, believing that this film was more of a tragedy than one of hope. Fortunately, Gigi finds him and takes him to hospital which saves his life.
Naoufel has now experienced physical and emotional loss, so retreats into himself and to his room. During this time his hand finally makes it home. However, when it tries to reattach itself, Naoufel turns away, leaving it separated from him, showing that he is trying to move away from his painful past.
Gabrielle eventually visits Naoufel, but finds his room empty so makes her way to the wooden igloo which is now covered in a layer of snow. On the roof she finds an audio recorder Naoufel used a kid.
The recorder symbolically represents Naoufel's shame, regret and inability to move on from the past. As a child he had used it record the sounds around him, but accidentally caused the crash which took the lives of his parents by pointing out the window.
He listened to this harrowing audio earlier in the film; but he now makes the decision to record over it, forgiving himself and moving on.
I love that he wipes away the pain he has carried with him for so many years. What made it especially impactful was that he immediately made the perilous jump across to the crane. He pushes himself to change his destiny, alter fate and chart his own course in life - no longer tied down by his past.
I am happy to say that I Lost My Body has seen a great deal of recognition. It received a nomination at the Academy Awards for Best Animated Picture, and saw victory at several other awards nights.
I was also surprised to find out that this film is actually based off a book; Happy Hand (Cadre Rouge) by Guillaume Laurant. I might look for an English-translated edition to see how it measures up.
This is a truly unique film that uses the outlandish tale of a severed hand travelling across Paris to illustrate that through loss we can all grow, move on and improve as people.