Maya, Give Me a Title
Directed and Written by Michel Gondry
Starring Pierre Niney, Maya Gondry
Runtime: 1 hour and 1 minute
Screens at New York International Children’s Film Festival March 2nd

by Shah, Staff Writer

From the director responsible for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, comes Maya, Give Me a Title — a compilation of animated shorts made specifically for Gondry’s daughter Maya as a means to communicate and spend time together in their long-distance father-and-daughter relationship. Conceptually, it’s pretty simple. Maya would come up with a story, and her father would animate it. Despite being separated many miles away, Maya and Michel can bond over their animated shorts. It’s very DIY and homemade so one can’t help but wonder if it works as a feature-length film? Well, I think it worked — mostly!

In between the animated shorts, we are given live-action segments where bubbling and energetic Maya introduces these story ideas. Without giving too much away, some of the stories include a world where a bottle of ketchup plays a significant role, an intense drumming session that may or may not have caused a deadly earthquake, mermaids, cucumbers, and fake cops. These vignettes are creatively stitched together using different techniques — a hybrid of paper cut-out and stop motion animations. The way this project is crafted by Gondry has a rich quality to it  — the vibrant colors, and the grounded self-taught hands-on energy this brings proves that animation can stand out as a powerful medium in the world of arts.

French actor Pierre Niney, who worked with Gondry in his previous feature The Book of Solutions, narrates the film and voices Gondry’s role as the father. Aside from narrating the stories, Niney would also explain meticulously how certain animated shots were made. It’s quirky, fast-paced, and overflowing with creativity. Jean-Michel Bernard’s music also elevated the film in a way that champions its playfulness and childlike wonders, even when events presented on-screen can sometimes be a bit abstract and surreal. The whimsicality works with the style of the film and prevents it from feeling empty or shallow.

While I did appreciate Gondry expanding his filmography with this feature, I do think it feels like a home video he made for his child but somehow, we’re invited to the private screening and are allowed to share our thoughts on it. It’s cute, delightful, and honestly inspiring to me just how much love Gondry has for this medium and his daughter. As someone who’s still in his early 20s and has no spouse or kids, this somehow made me want to make stop motion animations for my future kids! The power of cinema, I suppose. 

What I admire about this film the most is that anything can just happen and require no explanation, context, or further elaboration, because why would you want it to make sense? These are all made up by a kid and for kids in mind. We’re blessed enough to be transported into a world where the possibilities are endless, and not even the sky's the limit. There are even more unexplored worlds above the clouds. There’s paper, scissors, pencils, colors, paints and with these tools, we can do whatever we want with our stories. Isn’t that just lovely? Now more than ever, as artists, we should all keep telling our stories. No matter what it’s about. Just keep telling. Don’t worry about the title, we’ll figure it out later.

The New York International Children’s Film Festival kicks off February 28 until March 16. Find ticket information here.

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