Phantom Boy

Dir: Alain Gagnol, Jean-Loup Felicioli

2015

****

Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli return to the big screen following their hugely successful Oscar nominated 2012 debut A Cat in Paris with Phantom Boy. I have to admit I wasn't a huge fan of their first film, it had a lot going for it but I didn't much care for the style of animation and I thought the story stumbled a bit half way through. I think lessons have been learned but Phantom Boy is a very different kind of story and one that surprised me somewhat. A Cat in Paris was quite an arty noir, where Phantom Boy is a strange sort of supernatural crime thriller. The animation style is similar but more polished and detailed than their debut, less expressionist and more graphic novel, although the villain is cubist. The Phantom Boy of the title is a young boy who is in hospital receiving serious treatment for an illness the viewer is left to assume is cancer. The boy soon develops a way of exiting his body and flying. He can pass through walls undetected and he helps others back to their own bodies who don't realize they are doing the same (although no one ever remembers). That is until a cop, in hospital after breaking his leg during a chase, remembers him vividly. Realizing that the boy could help him track down the mysterious 'Man with the broken face', the cop enlists his help and sends his spirit on observational missions. With only 24 hours to go until the mysterious villain hits the city with a terribly computer virus, the two inpatients have to work fast. It is a strangely compelling animation that actually feels like a proper thriller. Quite how or why the boy manages to leave his body is never explained, one could guess but that only complicates what is a very simple story. I think connecting the child's illness and seeing him as a ghost is incorrect though, I believe the film is meant to be more of a superhero film, the boy's power being in balance with his weakness. Like I said, the reason behind it is never really deemed important, this is a detective thriller first and foremost. I think it could have been darker, the villain in particular had the opportunity to have been something rather iconic but I think the film is marketed at kids, older kids but still family friendly. I can't really compare it to anything else, it's a little bit bizarre and totally original. Much like A Cat in Paris, I liked it but it took a little getting used to. The animation is superb throughout but a couple of the characters let it down somewhat. It's missing that one big memorable scene perhaps but the detail, colour, landscape and composition more than make up for it. I'm looking forward to seeing much more from the directors.