ANIMATION; 1hr 14min
VOICES BY: Geoffrey Rush, Anthony La Paglia, Joel Edgerton, Ben Mendelsohn, Samuel Johnson, Leeanna Walsman, Claudia Karvan
Body double: Lenny and Tanita
In an Anywhere city apartment block, residents gamely get on with lives that swing ever further left of centre. Reborn as an angel, a homeless man (voiced by Rush) still cadges coffee and cigs. Harried single dad Jim Peck (LaPaglia) attempts to keep himself and his sons — 28-year-old unemployed Dave (Johnson) and repossessor Lenny (Mendelsohn) — on the rails. Dave is transfixed by a $9.99 book about the meaning of life, but neither Jim nor Lenny want to know: Jim is too busy being anxious and Lenny is romancing a model (Walsman) who prefers him hairless — and yep, there are nude scenes. Alone in his apartment after a fight with his fiancée (Karvan), remorseful Ron (Edgerton) kicks back with three tiny imaginary men. Or are they?
Based on the short stories of Israeli writer Etgar Keret, the textured stop-motion of film-maker Tatia Rosenthal is a surreal law unto itself, grooving knowingly to a quirky, distinctive beat. The fallen angel Ron’s minuscule visitors and the cheeky full-frontal attitude are all part and parcel of what makes this cuckoo valentine tick — and click.
