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Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles

Play trailer Poster for Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles Released Aug 16, 2019 1h 20m Drama Animation Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
98% Tomatometer 51 Reviews 74% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
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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Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles

Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles

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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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Critics Reviews

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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 Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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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 Read all reviews
Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles

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Movie Info

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
Producer
Femke Wolting, Bruno Felix, Jose Maria Fernandez De Vega
Screenwriter
Salvador Simó, Eligio R. Montero
Distributor
GKIDS
Production Co
Submarine
Genre
Drama, Animation
Original Language
European Spanish
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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