‘I Lost My Body’ a piece of animation to get lost in

Last month, Netflix widely released the adult animated fantasy drama “I Lost My Body.” The film tells the story of a young man named Naoufel who begins to develop feelings for a mysterious girl following a lengthy conversation he shares with her while attempting to deliver a pizza one night. In his attempt to get close to her, Naoufel takes an apprenticeship with her uncle who works at a wood shop. While this occurs, the film cuts back to a severed hand which, after escaping a laboratory, is on the search for the young man.

“I Lost My Body” certainly delivers a very different experience as compared to your typical animated venture. With its methodical pacing and rich atmosphere, the film finds a healthy balance between delivering solid visual storytelling and grounded dialogue in a mostly believable manner. The way in which the narrative plays out is done in a somewhat contrasting, yet never distracting manner, where it follows both Naoufel’s ventures and the journey the severed hand must take in order to find him. While the latter subplot is more exaggerated in its concept, the way it is portrayed artistically grounds it in the world of the film.

By the end, both plot points tie together in a way that feels cohesive. And yet despite this, the film still knows just what kind of information is important to give its audience and what to leave up to the imagination. Without getting into spoilers, the ending makes a decision that doesn’t entirely answer all the questions you would think it would. While it may confuse some, the film gives you just enough to come to your own conclusions regarding its meaning.

While the film’s pacing does give a lot of time for the atmosphere and mood to sink in, it feels surprisingly shallow in some places when illustrating character relationships. Naoufel’s relationship with both his love interest and the uncle, while never done badly, never feel fleshed out enough to leave any lasting impact. This is a shame, as the film opens many doors for its characters to explore their desires and flaws, and the little moments when they do occur resonate the most emotionally throughout the journey.

The film’s animation and overall style of presentation takes some time to get accustomed to, but does its job done very well. The aesthetic strikes a lucky chord with appearing graphic and well-defined, with a process that appears to blend 2D with certain 3D elements to help with lighting. The numerous flashback moments going through Naoufel’s backstory appear in black and white, which perfectly contrasts with the film’s otherwise gorgeous vibrant color palette. The character and background designs sometimes clash with the aesthetic choices and could have benefited from being more expressive, but never come off as looking bad by any means.

Overall, “I Lost My Body” may not be a masterpiece of the medium, but it is still likely to be a hidden gem for many. Fans of independent animation who are looking for something different may find this film to be a breath of fresh air, so be sure to give it a watch and see if it is worth a hand.