@Courtesy of NMA Releasing
Surely, there are easier ways for fathers and sons to repair their relationships, like maybe tossing around a football in the backyard? Regardless, it will take a grave car accident and a subsequent mythical quest for Franklin (known as Frankie) to finally better understand his father in Canadian director-screenwriter Nick Johnson’s animated feature, Sunburnt Unicorn, which had its North American premiere at the 2024 Fantasia International Film Festival.
Like so many moody teens, Frankie wants to be a writer, but his father insists he enroll in the same engineering school the old man attended. They were still arguing about it during the long drive, until their car flipped over after hitting a Tortoise. If you think Frankie looks bad with a shard of glass protruding from his forehead, just take a gander at the Tortoise, with her intestines spilling out.
When Frankie comes to after roasting to a crimson red in the noonday sun, his finds father is missing, with ominous tracks leading away from the car. According to the Tortoise, who somehow has not died yet, he was probably taken by the dreaded Cactus King. Believing Frankie the second coming of a legendary unicorn (and having nothing more pressing to do before she expires), the Tortoise agrees to guide him through the desert, in search of his father, for as long as she can. We haven’t even gotten to the really disturbing stuff yet.
Based the character design, which appears to skew in a youthful direction, some viewers might initially assume Sunburnt Unicorn was produced as family entertainment, but it was really intended for readers of Paulo Coelho’s New Age fables and the like. It is very much the animated equivalent of children’s books for adults, which remains a very real publishing category. Of course, they usually do not feature cannibalistic subplots, as is the case here, which understandably leads to tonal issues.
Frustratingly, Johnson’s big revelation also holds no real surprise. Many cineastes will have seen this general narrative many times before. In fact, the conspicuously extreme nature of the wounds suffered by Frankie and Tortoise will soon have much of the audience racing ahead of the film. Most viewers will still share great sympathy for both characters, while perhaps also feeling somewhat manipulated.
@Courtesy of NMA Releasing
Nevertheless, Johnson creates a great deal of imagery that resonates on an archetypal level. Experienced voice-over artist Kathleen Barr also delivers a really terrific performance as Tortoise. She sounds eerily familiar yet naggingly hard to place, which truly suits the character and the mystical story.
Sunburnt Unicorn is frustrating to analyze, because it radiates such earnest compassion, viewers will feel like they should love it, even if they merely respect it. Clearly, Johnson and company hope watching it will be a healing experience, which could indeed prove true for some. In such cases, they will deserve their applause. However, anyone looking for animated escapism or intriguing fantastical storytelling, could very well feel awkwardly disappointed.
It should be readily stipulated tremendous thought and care went into Sunburnt Unicorn. The color scheme aptly suits the desert setting and the computer-generated animation reflects unexpected warmth. Despite the best of intentions, the film never truly cohesively comes together. It is nice in the abstract, but sometimes weird in the wrong ways. Only recommended for fans of New Age allegorical tales, Sunburnt Unicorn started its festival screenings at this year’s Fantasia.
@Courtesy of NMA Releasing
Grade: C+
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Here’s the trailer of the film.