Harvie Krumpet (2003)
NETFLIX SYNOPSIS: Geoffrey Rush voices the titular character in this claymation film about the life of a man who has terrible luck. Even after being born with Tourette’s Syndrome, losing a testicle, getting struck by lightning and developing Alzheimer’s disease, however, Harvie is still able to look on the bright side of life and appreciate the valuable things he’s seen and learned along the way. This film won of the Best Animated Short Oscar in 2003.
REVIEW: I unabashedly love this odd little gem from Australia. Harvie’s not for everyone, though, as the reviews at Netflix will attest. It’s a darkly comic parable, perhaps a bit obvious on the surface, but endearing nonetheless. Geoffrey Rush’s softly nuanced narration strikes just the right tone of empathy. Poor Harvie’s life is incredibly unfortunate, but I had many laugh-out-loud moments, mostly from the “fakts” displayed between segments, and delightful bits of animation.
At 23 minutes, Harvie Krumpet is perfect to Watch Instantly; unfortunately, Netflix hasn’t yet made it available in that form. The film seems to be largely unavailable by the usual method either, as it’s been in my Q for months on Very Long Wait. I caught it on cable, and thus missed the extra shorts on the DVD — apparently character sketches of Harvie’s relatives — which other reviewers say are even better than the main story.
5 stars
Kym
