The Boy and the World (2016) - Alê Abreu

Featuring beautiful hand drawn animation that is simplistic but simultaneously lush, Ale Abreu's The Boy and the World tells the story of Cuca, a young boy? whose life is shattered when his dad leaves their rural home to work in the city.  The Boy and the World is a film told entirely through this young boys POV, using vibrant and immersive animation which truly captures the curious nature and confusion that comes with youth.  The creative animation aids in creating a great sense of wonder, evoking the feelings of this young boy who is trying to make sense of the world around him.  Animation is far from my strong suit as a cinema nerd, but Boy and The World stood out for its ability to use dynamic editing, creative transitions, and well-placed compositions that get into the psyche of this character in a very cinematic way.  While I wouldn't exactly describe Boy and the World as hard to follow, it is a film that requires that the viewer pay attention, as the narrative itself provides little exposition.  To be honest, even if you don't follow it, you'd probably enjoy it on some level just for the beautiful imagery.  Anyway, the narrative isn't really the most interesting aspect when considering that thematically Boy and the World is a rather seething commentary on modern society.  Through the narrative that finds young Cuca going from the beautiful rural country to the big city in search of his father, the film depicts a clash between rich and poor,  nature and industrialization, urban and rural.  Boy and the World is a film not only against capitalism and humanity's obsession with money, but also humanity's obsession over power, showing how society destroys nature and dehumanizes anyone necessary for the sake of profits.  I particularly liked Boy and The World's depiction of an oppressive government, linking entertainment such as sports, and retail, basically consumer commerce in general as merely distractions of a oppressive government, used to sidtrack the public from the real problems.  A tapestry of great complexities about issues plaguing society from corporate greed to oppressive regimes, Boy and the World is a hand drawn animation that is larger than life.

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