NOCTURNA (Theatrical Release USA 2008)

Ben Meyers’ rating: 4.2|5.0 Starsìììì

Nocturna  begins well with scenes of a small orphan boy who, unlike the other boys, is not content to sleep, but must go to the window to see the night sky. The first 11 minutes of the film gives the impression that the film is going to be an ‘off-the-charts’ movie to be praised around the world as a first-class children’s tale with its more than fair share of animated feature awards. After the Cat Shepherd arrives, the movie takes a downhill slide that keeps begging the question, why is this important and does anyone really want to sit through the rest of it? This Spanish/French film does not cross the international border well. Read a small plotline before going to increase the child and adult understanding of the film.

Film Poster Courtesy of Wikipedia

Storyline

A small boy must overcome his fear of the dark to bring the stars back into the night sky.

Additional Thanks

Thank you to Director Adrià García and Victor Maldonado for directing effort. Thank you to Executive Producers Carlos Fernández, Paco Rodríguez, and Marie Laurence for making the film possible. Additional characters/cast include: Pastor de gatos (voice of Imanol Arias), L’Informateur (voice of Hervé Caradec), Moka (voice of Roger Carel), Ébouriffeuse #3 (voice of Florence Dumortier), Ébouriffeuse #2 (voice of Catherine Cerda), Ébouriffeuse #1 (voice of Evelyne Grandjean), Whisperer (voice of Joe Lewis), voice (Molly Malcolm), Les Lumignons (voice of Patrick Noerie), Cat Sheperd (voice of Robert Paterson), Mister Pi (voice of Patrick Pellegrin), and Murray, le lumignon courageux (voice of Philippe Peythieu).

Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?

Yes. This movie needs improvement in character development and storyline before it becomes worth dollar investment and viewing time; but, despite this, international films have their own unique charm and often earn a watch despite basic challenges in the story.

Video Critique Available Here:

Ben Meyers