'Arco', an ecological adventure that soars on the backs of Moebius and Ghibli

Just take a look at the clear-line characters that inhabit Bow His universe, besieged by climate catastrophe, hints that Ugo Bienvenu has honed his sensitivity and awareness to the point of reminiscent of Moebius's comics and Hayao Miyazaki's films. But, although the director doesn't hide his influences, it would be unfair to view the film as a mere homage or a replica of others' achievements. Among other things, because Bienvenu has been cultivating this style for years in comics that explore similar themes to those in his first feature film (Ponent Mon has published his works in Spain). In fact, the author had received several offers to adapt his comics for film, but he preferred to develop a new story for the screen, imagining the encounter between two children from different times: Iris, who lives in the world of the day after tomorrow, amidst long-distance parent-child relationships and domes that serve as shelters from torrential rains, destined for a time-traveling journey for which he may not yet be ready. The film's elegant design does not forgo spectacle or a sense of wonder, but where it truly shines is in the human scale of a narrative freed from Manichaeism and clear antagonists, and in its desire to seek heartbreaking lyricism in unexpected places such as, for example, the agonizing memory of a...