This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.
Truc Nguyen’s review published on Letterboxd:
This review may contain spoilers.
Marcel The Shell With A Story
(Marcel The Shell With Shoes On)
Directed by Dean Fleischer Camp, Marcel The Shell With Shoes On is an American film that goes beyond traditional conventions. Filmed like a documentary, Dean plays himself as he dives into the story of Marcel…the shell with shoes on. Through the entirety of the plot, Marcel’s story began to take the internet by storm as he revealed information about himself and his community. As Marcel and Dean got closer during this project, Marcel began to reveal the darker sides of his community’s past. He confides in Dean about the awful and sudden way his community was taken from him by the past owners-- leaving only him and his grandmother, Connie. This film ends in a bittersweet way as Marcel is eventually reunited with his community with the help of Dean, but ends up losing the most important person to him-- Connie.
It goes without saying that this was an odd movie. Who would have thought that a “fake” documentary about a shell would have such success? I feel like this whimsical approach to play out the plot was an amazing choice. It really shows that viewers can empathize with anything as long as it is written well, because Marcel’s story was touching. Even with the casual joking and the endearing awkwardness, there was emotion in this film. The emotional moments perfectly illustrates life as it shows that sometimes we just try to move on from an event, but a piece of us is always connected to it.
I really enjoyed the style of this film. It was light-hearted and had just the right amount of “tugs” on your heart strings. I think Marcel The Shell With Shoes On was really enhanced by the “raw” cuts of the documentary we saw in the film, like when Marcel secretly filmed Dean with his own camera. This helped the viewer establish the growing and existing relationship between Dean and Marcel beyond just “coworkers”. It made the film feel human even as it was centered around a shell.
I would recommend this film for everyone and anyone of all ages because of its ability to stick with any age group. The adults would understand the meaning behind the film and kids would just enjoy the cute shell and the funny comments. Marcel The Shell With Shoes On definitely changed the game for films with its uproarious success and whimsical approach.