I Lost My Body (J’ai perdu mon corps) – Review

On the one hand, I Lost My Body is a comedy adventure film that sees a disembodied hand try and find its own. On the other hand, I Lost My Body is a stirring meditative piece about grief and fate.

Put them together and you have a complete masterpiece that is worthy of applause.

Directed by Jérémy Clapin, I Lost My Body revolves around young pizza delivery boy Noufel who, since the death of his parents, has lost his way. The film also looks at Noufel’s dismembered right hand crawling across Paris from the hospital to try and find his owner. The hand encounters many creatures of the night and different dangers that it has to thwart.

Though initially you may venture into this film thanks to the wildly imaginative concept, it’s really the human element that keeps you invested in the film. Clapin utilises this bizarre and comedic storyline, using the hand as a conduit into Noufel’s memories and emotions. The musings that this film undertakes are vast and plentiful., falling into this dreamlike escapade across the Parisian nightscape.

This is heightened by the most gorgeous animation. Claplin directs a terrific movie here. The artistry feels like a combination of anime and water colours. The simply divine look of the film truly encapsulates the philosophy on the big screen. It is a daring, vivid work that is also grounded in this amazing darkness of Paris, particularly when Noufel winds up at his seedy uncle’s place. A unique vision, I Lost My Body is a balance of compelling visual art with the silent art comedy as well as the deep-seated heart and emotion.

I Lost My Body is a movie that drags it’s fingertips across your palm like a psychic telling your future. Through the heart-lines and mounds, it maps out its story with a delicate touch. It is vivid in it’s brushstrokes and haunting in it’s melancholia. Under the beautiful brooding Parisian night-sky, through the rain and snow, the hand’s journey is simple, comedic, scary, and gripping. But Noufel’s love scattered journey to find peace with tragedy and life is even more so.