Friday, October 27
Triplets of Belleville (maps 1, 2)
dir. Sylvain Chomet, France 2003

The story of a boy, his grandmother, his dog and his dream of winning the Tour de France. When the boy is kidnapped by two mysterious men during the race, the search leads to the megalopolis of Belleville and the renowned Triplets of Belleville, eccentric female music-hall stars from the '30s.

Apparently Sylvain Chomet didn't get the news. The French comic-strip artist spent five years making Les Triplettes de Belleville (also known as Belleville Rendez-vous), about an old woman who raises her grandson to be a Tour de France champion. There's a dog, some bike-napping mafiosi and three old chanteuses whose diet consists entirely of frogs they catch by tossing hand grenades into a nearby stream. Vous guessed it by now: Triplettes is terrific.

Chomet (who did use computer animation for the film's cars, boats and trains) has a canny design eye to match his narrative wit. The old woman is stocky and clubfooted, a compact metaphor for stubborn dedication; her grandson is so spindly he could ride Giacometti's Chariot; Bruno the dog has more personality than 101 Dalmatians. The movie isn't aimed at kids, but they will find plenty to beguile them. And don't worry that the film is French; it has hardly any dialogue. Doesn't need it. The gnarly imagery and the movie's understanding of the human impulse not just to survive but also to save others are eloquent enough. - Richard Corliss, Time.com