The Triplets of Belleville

The film begins with crude animation reminiscent of Felix the Cat. A group of women are entering a theatre to listen to the triplets of Belleville. They are all fat, and one man is even stuck between the butt cheeks of one women. The triplets sing a little song, and finally an elephant sized woman enters the stage and pounds on the stage. Finally, as these images have become too strange to comprehend, the film zooms out and we see a pint size woman and her son watching the tv. We see the woman trying to come up with different ways to entertain her son. A dog named Bruno, who barks at the train passing by their window every fifteen minutes is the first attempt, and the second is a bike, which we can tell he cherishes. There is no talking in THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE, but rather, a series of sounds and images that speak for themselves. It is funny in a dark way, but never overly ridiculous, but sort of interesting as if some bored pot smoker decided to sketch out some mildly funny images. But this film also has a continuity and a craft to it. The boy eventually grows up and trains for the Tour du France, he is kidnapped and his mother searches endlessly with Bruno the dog for him. There is a sweetness to all of this, and a subdued and controlled comedy that is balanced and reminiscent of Jacques Tati and even in some ways, Buster Keaton. The images are brilliant, large and doom-like, with an underlaying of sweetness exhibited by the triplets or by the mother. THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE is surrealistic, but never succumbs to not caring because of its strangeness. A great film.
The Triplets of Belleville: ★★★★