La Vie, en gros

Living Large has fantastic stop-motion animation packed with playful details and it is entirely appropriate to speak of it as a major success not only of Czech animation, but of modern Czech cinema in general. Just as its visual aspect brilliantly straddles the line between bizarreness and attractiveness, the screenplay, informed by foreign models (from works for small children to icons of the genre and teen classics of the new millennium), succeeds in balancing educational ambitions with entertainment value. However, there is one “but”. With such a great and superbly crafted film with a clear message, it is rather regrettable that, despite all of their ambitious intentions, its creators failed to notice that even though they break down certain stereotypes and clichés in a wonderfully casual way, they unfortunately and (probably) unwittingly reinforce others. ___ SPOILER ___ Primarily this involves the excuse that the solution to bullying is physical escalation on the part of the oppressed, which provides relief, satisfaction and recognition, whereas some of the film’s foreign inspirations (at the very least Perks, which Living Large brilliantly paraphrases in one of its several highlight scenes) long ago put this idea into a more appropriate form or at least problematised it. Unfortunately, we can find more such screenwriting weaknesses and elements that are problematic with respect to the personal psychological and social status quo (the personified motivation for personal improvement and most of the associated motives bordering on stalking, including the climax with a false promise). And that’s a shame when, on the other hand, the film’s creators took such great care with the screenplay and educational aspect to ensure that they didn’t make their obese protagonist a lazy victim waiting for someone to save him and others to accept him. (30/06/2024)

(KVIFF 2024) I was attracted to Living Large both by my curiosity to see one of the new Czech animated films and by the not-so-traditional premise, which, along with common themes such as interpersonal relationships (family, friends, partners), also tackles the topic of childhood obesity, something not addressed much in cinema. At first, you need to get used to the somewhat peculiar visuals of the puppets, which in half of the cases look more like zombie scarecrows, but I was very impressed by the animation as a whole. Alongside this, Living Large features a nice soundtrack and, above all, a humorous script that tackles both serious and not-so-serious issues with a light-hearted wit. (30/06/2024)