“Memoir of a Snail (2024)” was recently screened in local cinemas, and it was a pleasant animation experience, even if the one-hour and 34-minute film evokes loneliness, isolation, and tragedy.

Directed by Adam Elliot, who is known for his underdog characters, “Memoir of a Snail” was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 97th Academy Awards last March. Adam is already an Oscar winner, having nabbed the prize for his short film, “Harvie Krumpet.” His last animated short, “Mary and Max,” was released 16 years ago.

This three-dimensional stop motion animation introduces us to Grace Pudel (Sarah Snook), a misfit, who honestly shares her lonely life from childhood to present with her favorite snail, Sylvia. The birth of Grace and his twin brother Gilbert (Kodi Smit-McPhee) was the happiest period of her life. Two bodies with one heart was her delightful description. Their mother, however, passed away while giving birth, so they were left to the care of their father, who became wheelchair-bound after an accident.

The twins love to read books while the father boozes his way to dreamland. They got separated when their entertainer-father died and were transported to their adoptive families in far-away Australian territories. Grace never heard from her brother for years.

Grace grew up in Canberra with parents fixated on self-help books and are “swingers.” She becomes obsessed with snails and ends up as a hoarder and shoplifter.

Meanwhile, Gilbert was brought to a cult-life family who controlled his everyday life. He works in the family apple farm and gets meager wages. His only hope is to get Grace once he has enough money. Sad to say, life has been hell for him in the church managed by his foster family.

If there is one human connection for Grace, it is her eccentric friend Pinky (Jacki Weaver), who taught her to be herself. Wild and unconventional, Pinky was her sidekick. On Grace’s wedding day, a letter arrived that Gilbert was not coming due to an unforeseen event. Grace’s heart crushes and plunges into brokenness. The brother who kept her alive in this terrible world is gone.

Married life also takes a toll on Grace after discovering her husband’s kinky secret. Heartbroken, she separates from him by choice, and Pinky nurses her while she goes into a deep depression. "But in the years since, I've learned that the worst cages are the ones we create for ourselves,” relates Pinky.

When Grace recovers, Pinky has entered her dementia state of mind. This time, Grace takes the cudgels to make Pinky’s life comfortable. “Potatoes!” was Pinky’s last words. Grace was desperate until she saw the snail and got her eureka moment.

“Memoir of a Snail” is a moving, intelligent, and subtle narration of one’s pain, insecurity, and trauma, captured perfectly by the director. We can relate to all the characters’ journeys once we open our hearts to this beautifully told confession.

One’s bleakness is also one’s path to see the light. There is always time to celebrate our “cracks” in life. As the movie states, "We can no longer wait for good to happen to us. We have to make it ourselves.”