Glasgow Film Festival 2015: The Boy and the World

Alê Abreu's The Boy and the World begins with a blank white screen and revels in the infinite freedom before it like a kid let loose with crayons. Crafting a cacophony of colour and sound, the film is a relentless, dreamlike carnival of fantastic images and otherworldly grooves.

To tell the simple story of a small boy's journey to the big city in search of his father, Abreu brings out every instrument in his artistic arsenal, utilising paint and pencil of every kind and colour. Calling attention to the brushstrokes and pencil lines it's built from, The Boy and the World acts like a vibrant celebration of hand-drawn animation and the fundamental magic of watching lines on paper come to life.

More than just an exercise in style though, Abreu's film pulls off moments of stunning emotional power. The rainbow-coloured dancing world of its child protagonist is drawn against the harsh dark tones of the modern city grind, making the film in turn totally exhilarating and deeply, beautifully melancholic. [Ross McIndoe]

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