Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles

Released Aug 16, 2019

1h 20m

Drama

Animation

List

98%

51 Reviews

Tomatometer

76%

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Audience Score

In Paris in 1930, Luis Buñuel is left penniless after a film leads to a falling out with Salvador Dalí. On a whim, Buñuel's good friend, sculptor Ramón Acín, buys a lottery ticket and promises to devote his winnings to fund Buñuel's next film.

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Critics Consensus

Thrillingly imaginative and appropriately surreal, Buñuel and the Labyrinth of the Turtles open an alluringly dreamlike window into the life of a brilliant artist.

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Wendy Ide

Observer (UK)

With its dust and sherry-toned colour palette and starkly angular character design, it will intrigue animation fans.

Rated: 3/5

Jul 19, 2020

Full Review

Kevin Maher

Times (UK)

As a"making of" movie, however, it's instantly gratifying and easily comparable with Les Blank's Fitzcarraldo film Burden of Dreams.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 18, 2020

Full Review

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

An engaging if somewhat demure animation, bordering occasionally on a kind of gentle sentimentality that is inimical to the subject...

Rated: 3/5

Jul 16, 2020

Full Review

Erick Estrada

Cinegarage

A much more particular film that we could imagine. [Full review in Spanish]

Jul 26, 2023

Full Review

Fernanda Solórzano

Letras Libres

The medium of animation lends itself well to weaving these dream-like visions because Land Without Bread was not in the strictest sense a documentary. [Full review in Spanish]

Oct 25, 2021

Full Review

Ram Venkat Srikar

Film Inquiry

Devoid of the obscurity, Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles is a stark contrast to the film it is woven around. It is coherent, perceptible, and unusually entertaining in a largely mainstream way.

Dec 3, 2020

Full Review

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Audience Member

Okrutne znęcanie się nad zwierzętami. Ładnie narysowany, ale mało płynne animacje. Brak szacunku do czyjejś własności jest brakiem szacunku do tego kogoś

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/26/23

Full Review

raphael g

It romanticizes things in a very Hollywoodian way, and tries to make the viewer admire a man who in the end could've done much more during the making of the documentary. The animation was good, but the movie failed to contextualize the political aspects of the story - it just seemed poorly written and cliché. I dont get how people call this surrealistic - I felt betrayed by it.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The animation style is quite "retro" but maybe it fits the kind of story that is told here.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This is an animated film in French and Spanish with some live-action footage. It's perfect for sadists, as it contains several instances of animal cruelty and death, merely for the sake of filming it. There's also a girl who dies because she doesn't have access to doctors or medicine. They could have driven her to a doctor, but it would have interfered with filming.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/19/23

Full Review

ranny l

This is an incredibly unique film. It's rare to see such mature animation like this, and I've been wanting more mature animation for a while. So I was incredibly entertained. The film is about the Spanish filmmaker Luis Bunuel and it follows him as he films his documentary, Las Hurdes, which is a documentary about the Las Hurdes region in Spain. Now, I love animation. However, I am slightly peeved that 2D animated movies are not very popular anymore. So I was excited to learn that this film is 2D. Not only that, but it is incredibly stylized and beautiful 2D. I've always liked aesthetics pertaining to historical generations of filmmaking. So it's not surprising that I love this art style. One thing I find interesting is that many scenes in the film have clips from the actual Las Hurdes documentary, sliced in with animated recreations of the scenes. I can't really explain why, but I really like this detail. Another interesting aspect of the animation is the imagery. Luis Bunuel is often associated with surrealism and I assume that's why the movie includes several strange and nonsensical sequences. There's also a consistent theme involving religion, which I didn't really understand if I'm being honest, but it is interesting. A major aspect of this film is Luis's relationship with the anarchist painter, Ramon Acin. The film was made thanks to Ramon, so it's understandable that the film heavily focuses on their friendship. It's interesting to see their conflict on the purpose of the film, and in general it makes for some compelling drama. In a way this can serve as an introduction to Luis Bunuel and his work. I never knew of him before this film. However, now I'm somewhat intrigued by him and his work. Although, there is something I should warn people about. Despite the film being animated, this film is absolutely not a kid's movie. There are lots of dark jokes, mature themes and a surprising amount of animal violence. It is important to point this out as many people assume all animated films are for little kids, when that couldn't be further from the truth. I give this film 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 13 to 18. If you're a fan of history, the art of film or both, and you can stomach some uncomfortable subject matter, I highly recommend this. Reviewed by Calista B., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic. For more reviews by youth, visit kidsfirst dot org.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Salvador Simó

Director

Jorge Usón

Luis Buñuel

Fernando Ramos

Ramón Acín

Luís Enríque De Tomás

Pierre Unik

Cyril Corral

Eli Lotar

Pepa Gracia

Luis Mother

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Synopsis

In Paris in 1930, Luis Buñuel is left penniless after a film leads to a falling out with Salvador Dalí. On a whim, Buñuel's good friend, sculptor Ramón Acín, buys a lottery ticket and promises to devote his winnings to fund Buñuel's next film.

Director: Salvador Simó
Screenwriter: Salvador Simó, Eligio R. Montero
Distributor: GKIDS
Production Co: Submarine
Genre: Drama, Animation
Original Language: Spanish (Spain)
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 16, 2019, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 12, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $30.8K
Runtime: 1h 20m

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