Running Time: 96 Minutes
Starring: Asier Hormaza, Aintzane Gamiz, Alberto Vázquez, Ander Vildósola, Iñaki Berartxe
"All the world's a stage." The heart of Decorado is effectively summarised in that William Shakespeare quote, comparing life to a grand theatrical performance. The theatricality is felt as curtains open while dramatic organ music plays, setting the scene to look at the city of Anywhere. As viewers see the anthropomorphised animals which inhabit the city, there is a cute feeling as we see them playing chess, watering flowers, and working out in the gym. That feeling soon vanishes as we also witness arson and murder.
On a roof nearby sits Arnold, who questions to his overworked wife, Maria, the strangeness of their reality. Unable to find a job within this decaying city, the middle-aged Arnold suspects that their world is nothing more than a set full of scripted performances. After his best friend dies under mysterious circumstances, he traces the conspiracy to the Alma corporation, whose influence reaches every corner of their daily lives.
By now, it is a familiar idea for a protagonist to question their reality. It has inhabited so many stores that one may see this film as an animal version of The Truman Show. Perhaps the adorable animals may leave one may expecting this to be sweet and cheery, but this is actually pretty downbeat stuff. Adapting his acclaimed 2016 short film, director Alberto Vázquez packs the story with existential horror that leaves the characters feeling crushed under the weight of capitalism.
With the Alma corporation controlling so much, their interests are not in caring for struggling citizens. Animals are discarded once they are considered no longer useful, from a carrier pigeon, to a former childhood star that resembles Donald Duck. It highlights the way that life can put us in our place, bringing us down from carefree days and into the crosshairs of overwhelming difficulties. This is felt by Arnold, an overweight middle-aged mouse on the verge of an existential crisis. As matters seem to keep getting worse, he grows frustrated at a world set to kick him while he is down.
Co-writers Vázquez and F. Xavier Manuel craft a fascinating reality where everybody has their part to play, something realised through gorgeous animation. This also includes demonising innocents and turning them into monsters, so that society has a low bar that others can try rising above. Despite notable divisions being enforced by a corrupt police force, there are more similarities than one cares to admit. Whether they are a wealthy head of a company, a single parent struggling to provide, or a forest-dwelling creature, everyone is dealing with their own fears and insecurities weighing them down.
Despite times when life can feel without meaning, it can feel free with the right people. But is it truly possible to be free? Even the brightest sparks of living, such as a better job, a nice home, and a flashy car, are just other forms of control. It's a bleak message which has you hoping for Arnold to persevere against all odds, but it is an uphill battle against a seemingly rigged existence. It all leads to an ending which boldly sticks to its guns, refusing to compromise for something that could feel manufactured by the Alma corporation. As such, Decorado is a boldly bleak tale that highlights how animation is a medium rather than a genre.
Decorado is available in U.S. cinemas now
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