The Most Precious of Cargoes

The Most Precious of Cargoes, directed by Michel Hazanavicius and adapted from a poignant story by Jean-Claude Grumberg, is a film that ventures into the difficult terrain of depicting the Holocaust through animation. It's a bold choice between the simplicity of fairy tales and the weight of one of history's darkest chapters. The result is a film that is as visually striking as it is emotionally complex, but leaves the viewer with mixed feelings about its overall impact.

Basically, the film is a fable set during the horrors of the Second World War. The story revolves around a poor lumberjack and his wife, who lead a harsh, isolated existence in a forest near the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp. Their lives take a radical turn when the woodcutter's wife discovers a Jewish baby, thrown from a train bound for the death camp, and decides to look after the child. This baby, described as The Most Precious of Cargoes, becomes a symbol of hope, love and the persistence of humanity, even in the darkest of times.

Jean-Claude Grumberg, whose parents were deported to Auschwitz, imbues the original story with deep personal and historical resonance. His life experience, combined with his literary prowess, makes for a powerful story on paper. However, translating such a story into animated film is a difficult undertaking, which Michel Hazanavicius approaches with as much ambition as apprehension.

Visually, The Most Precious of Cargoes is a study in contrasts. The animation style, inspired by the heavy lines of early 20th-century woodcuts and the soft pastels of watercolor, lends the film a storybook quality. This aesthetic choice is both a strength and a weakness. On the one hand, it allows the film to evoke the timelessness of a fable, making the story accessible to a wide audience, including the very young. On the other hand, the simplicity of the animation can seem at odds with the seriousness of the subject, sometimes reducing the complexity of the Holocaust to overly naive, sanitized imagery.

The story unfolds simply, following the emotional journey of the woodcutter and his wife as they come to love and protect the child, despite the dangers and their own prejudices. The woodcutter, initially hostile to the idea of caring for a Jewish child because of his anti-Semitic beliefs, undergoes a transformation that lies at the heart of the film's moral message. However, this transformation is handled in a way that some might find predictable and lacking in depth. The film often relies on emotional cues, notably through Alexandre Desplat's score, to get its message across, sometimes to the detriment of subtlety and nuance.

Despite these shortcomings, the film does have moments of profound emotional impact. The scenes depicting the baby's father, forced to make the heartbreaking decision to throw his child off the train in a desperate attempt to save her, are among the film's most powerful. These sequences are stark and haunting, providing a glimpse into the unimaginable choices faced by those caught up in the workings of the Holocaust. The depiction of the father's later suffering in Auschwitz, rendered in stark, gruesome drawings, serves as a grim reminder of the horrors that underpin the film's narrative.

The voices are solid, but they don't lift the film to new heights. Dominique Blanc and Grégory Gadebois, who play the woodcutter and his wife, bring authenticity to their roles, although their performances are somewhat overshadowed by Jean-Louis Trintignant's narration. Trintignant's warm, melancholy voice adds a layer of depth to the film, especially as this was his last role before his death.

The film's structure is both its strength and weakness. With a running time of 81 minutes, The Most Precious of Cargoes unfolds at a brisk pace, which helps to maintain the viewer's interest. However, this brevity also means that certain aspects of the story are not sufficiently developed. The film's conclusion, in particular, feels rushed and somewhat unsatisfying, as it attempts to connect its narrative threads in a way that seems too tidy and simplistic, given the complexity of the subject matter.

Michel Hazanavicius, known for his eclectic oeuvre, including the Oscar-winning The Artist , brings his trademark style to the project, but his lack of animation experience is clearly visible on screen. The film, while visually distinctive, at times feels static and stilted, as if the medium of animation, instead of freeing the story, constrained it. This is particularly evident in the film's treatment of emotions, which can sometimes seem overly manipulative.

The Most Precious of Cargoes is a difficult film to classify. It is neither a traditional Holocaust film, nor a simple fairy tale. On the contrary, it occupies a unique space, blending elements of both, resulting in a work that is as ambitious as it is imperfect. The heart of the film is in the right place, and its message of love and humanity in the face of unspeakable evil is undeniably important. However, the execution of this message, through animation, leaves much to be desired.

Ultimately, The Most Precious of Cargoes is a film that is likely to elicit a range of reactions. Some viewers will appreciate its unique approach to depicting the Holocaust, while others will find its simplicity and sentimentality at odds with the subject matter. It's a film that raises important questions about memory, history and the role of art in confronting the past, even if it doesn't always provide satisfactory answers.

Despite its flaws, The Most Precious of Cargoes brings a valuable perspective to the ongoing conversation about how we remember and represent the Holocaust. It may not reach the emotional or artistic heights of other films in this genre, but it remains a noble effort, seeking to remind us of the enduring power of love and compassion, even in the face of humanity's darkest impulses.

The Most Precious of Cargoes
Directed by Michel Hazanavicius
Produced by Michel Hazanavicius, Florence Gastaud, Robert Guédiguian, Christophe Jankovic, Riad Sattouf, Patrick Sobelman
Written by Michel Hazanavicius, Jean-Claude Grumberg
Based on The Most Precious of Cargoes by Jean-Claude Grumberg
With Jean-Louis Trintignant, Grégory Gadebois, Denis Podalydès, Dominique Blanc
Music: Alexandre Desplat
Director of photography :
Montage : Laurent Pelé-Piovani
Production companies: Les Films du Fleuve, Prima Linea Productions, Studiocanal, Les Compagnons du Cinema, Ex Nihilo
Distributed by StudioCanal (France)
Release date: 24 May 2024 (Cannes), 20 November 2024 (France)
Running time: 81 minutes

Seen on September 11, 2024 at the Deauville International Center

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