November Review: Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart (2013) (Patreon)

Sometimes you watch something and just know it would have done well at Hot Topic, and never has that feeling been stronger for me than with Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart (2013). One part concept album one part metaphorical musing on the trials of love, the film is a Burton-esque trip into experimental animation.

Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart (2013) follows Jack, a boy with a cuckoo-clock for a heart, who is told should he ever fall in love it could prove fatal for his mechanical ticker. So of course, he falls in just that. The story is at once simple and complex. It's a tale of a boy in love, and his pursuit of that love. It is also chock full of linguistic flourish and loosely connecting songs, saying so much as to circle around to saying nothing at all. I found I could follow the plot, but its many diversions and metaphorical language left some of the finer points lost in the snow.

This feeling of simultaneous complexity and simplicity is one I've noticed permeates musician-driven movies. Films like Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart (2013) and Annette (2021), both heavily influenced by if not created by a particular musical artist tend to dive right into a written language that works well in musical composition, but can be disorienting when spoken. It's similar to hearing poetry read aloud. There is clearly meaning behind the words, but when extended to fill a feature film, the prose loses some focus. Like poetry or song however, that makes Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart (2013) a film that has the potential to deeply, emotionally connect with a subset of viewers. Someone is always going to get lost in the meaning of the dialogue when all the dialogue has meaning, even if that means sacrificing mass appeal and clarity.

Animation, much like musical theater, is a genre that suits experimentation well. It is no surprise then, that Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart (2013) feels less literal and more winding in its storytelling. The style remains consistent throughout, distinctive but not quite abstract. Everything from people to settings and objects look stylized but are still clearly identifiable and act as expected, until the musical sequence. Here the film veers in surrealism, becoming more concept album than narrative. The blocking of action becomes much more dynamic, the art variable. The musical sequences, often montages, make the case for why Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart (2013) works best as an animation, playing within the medium to craft something distinctive and imaginative.

The musical sequences are where, in my opinion, the film really shines. The less the lyrics are concerned with realism, allowing the animation to follow the songs into surrealist territory. Here Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart (2013) gets to play, creating a series of excellent music videos that almost make this reviewer wish the entire film was less dedicated to the adaptation of short story, and more interested in illustrating a concept album. The music itself is good. No ear-worms or sing-alongs, but interesting uses of industrial sounds and atmospheric melodies.

Overall, I find this a difficult film to determine my feelings on. Like many French films it can be a bit melodramatic and tragic, and like many animated musicals it is surrealist and disjointed. I would have liked to see Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart (2013) push even further into whimsy. The bones of a very interesting, visually stunning film are there, if anything, it is narrative that holds it back. Despite my wishes however, I still was able to enjoy the film for what it is. Gothic, artsy, and maybe just a little weird, but in a very interesting way.

Not to mention how much I love that scrungly, glasses-wearing cat!

6 out of 10 Genuinely Very Tasty-Looking Pancakes