In addition to Maya, her mother Miriam Matejovsky (who was credited as a video playback operator on The Science of Sleep<\/strong>) and her maternal grandparents, Steven and Anita Matejovsky often appear as supporting characters in Gondry\u2019s paper cut-out animations. (This technique dates back to the earliest extant animated feature, Lotte Reiniger\u2019s The Adventures of Prince Achmed<\/strong>, released in 1926.) Gondry also has major roles to play in Maya\u2019s escapades, but French actor Pierre Niney (the star of his recent The Book of Solutions<\/strong>, yet to release in North American) supplies his voice-overs.
Appropriately, the real-life, live-action Maya mischievously introduces each constituent film, sometimes seemingly daring Gondry to find the right vibe for something that might sound traumatic, like \u201cMaya Watches the Earthquake.\u201d However, Gondry always finds the right outlandishly silly story to match her premise.<\/p>\r\n
<\/ins>\u00a0 if you like the review, share your thoughts below!<\/strong><\/p>\r\n Check out more of Joe’s article.<\/a><\/p>\r\n Here’s the trailer of the film.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n
Frankly, a Freudian couple\u2019s counselor might have a field day analyzing \u201cMaya Takes Her Bath,\u201d in which her mother accidentally shrinks her daughter and flushes down the drain. At least Matejovsky takes a starring role in \u201cMommy\u2019s Going on a Trip,\u201d wherein Gondry chronicles each leg of her journey in an obsessive Dr. Seuess-like fashion, only to immediately reverse her trek once she reaches her destination.
Perhaps one of the cleverest segments represents Gondry\u2019s temporary depression when Maya briefly stops requesting animated films and her efforts to snap him out of his funk. (This sequence also introduces some refreshing variety of tone into the film, which otherwise mostly hits the same emotional notes.)
Some of Gondry\u2019s stories turn into genuine mock epics, like \u201cMaya in the Sea with a Bottle of Ketchup,\u201d depicting her efforts to prevent the Exxon Valdez of Ketchup spills from contaminating the world\u2019s oceans. Her strategy of employing French fries to save the day is a perfect example of the charmingly absurdist logic that distinguish all Gondry\u2019s component films.<\/p>\r\n![\"Maya](\"https:\/\/cinemadailyus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Maya-Give-Me-A-Title.png\")
Unfortunately, the reality of COVID intrudes into \u201cMaya and the Hammock,\u201d but weirdly (and perhaps tragically) her grandfather\u2019s scheme to preserve the beach-going experience by mass-producing self-contained hammocks makes about as much sense as a lot what policy-makers and public health \u201cauthorities\u201d were telling us at the time.
Following the grand tradition of animated filmmaking, Maya often learns to communicate with various creatures and critters, like the fish in \u201cMaya the Mermaid and the Treasure.\u201d She also sets out to capture a trio of feline master-criminals in \u201cMaya in the Three Cats.\u201d However, this might be the short that best appeals to fans of Gondry\u2019s mind-bending films, because it takes several wild turns that constantly upend viewers\u2019 assumptions.
Of course, all the films have one goal: to entertain Maya. Yet, most young viewers and animation connoisseurs should be similarly charmed. The audience can plainly see all the love that is baked into each frame. Even though each individual film quickly takes wing on wild flights of fantasy, they are always grounded in fatherly affection. Honestly, we could use much more of that on-screen than yet another celebrity vehicle.
The 61-minute Maya, Give Me a Title<\/strong> qualifies as a small film, by almost any measure, but it is endearing and inventive. Obviously, it represents one of Gondry\u2019s most personal releases yet, so it is impossible to envision any future retrospective of the filmmaker\u2019s work without it. Easily recommended for fans of the filmmaker and the cut-out animation method, Maya, Give Me a Title<\/strong> screens again on March 16th, as part of this year\u2019s NYICFF.
Grade: B+<\/p>\r\n