Hello frpnet readers, I am Oğuz Kaan. After reviewing Ma Vie de Courgette, I moved on to Sauvages (Savages, 2024), the new film of the same director Claude Barras, and wondered how this man could convey emotion so easily. He is a wonderful person. Barras, who healed his childhood wounds with stop-motion in 2016, this time describes climate activism in the forests of Borneo at a 101 level, in an entertaining and striking way.
It is a complete ecological narrative, without being too didactic. Main Idea The film opens with 11-year-old Kéria. He lives on his father’s palm oil plantation, on the edge of the tropical forests of Borneo. Her mother was Penan indigenous, but Kéria shows little interest in her own roots. One day, she finds the abandoned baby orangutan Oshi and begins to mother him. Then his cousin Selaï appears; His family was displaced due to deforestation and he had to take shelter.
Together, the trio (Kéria, Selaï and Oshi) fight against companies that threaten their forests, their ancestors and nature. The topic seems heavy, right? But the movie handles this so beautifully and so subtly that, while watching it, you laugh, think and your heart aches. Characters The characters are again very well crafted. No one gives a speech for hours, everyone’s problems are obvious with their look, a sentence or a movement.
Kéria’s journey to discover her roots, Selaï’s anger, Oshi’s innocence… They all complement each other. Animation and Details My favorite part is the details. Stop-motion animation has reached its peak here. Those tropical forest scenes, leaves, trees, orangutan feathers, water drops… You feel the effort and mastery in every frame. The color palette is both vibrant and sad; The forest is both idyllic and slowly disappearing.
The puppets are so alive, especially the bonding scenes between Kéria and Oshi, that melt your heart. Your childhood memories and that feeling of “I want to protect nature” come into play immediately. Director’s Style Barras’ style of “simplicity and minimalism” is at play again, but this time in a bigger world. Barras explains the emotion very easily; It progresses naturally and sincerely, without unnecessary drama like in the previous film.
In 86 minutes, both a coming-of-age story and a lesson in climate activism are given. While adults say “they’re right”, children get excited and say “let’s save the forest”. It’s “activism 101 for kids” but never boring. General Evaluation In short, Sauvages is a great production in which Claude Barras defends nature, indigenous people and our future with stop-motion. Even though it was released in 2024 (it was also shown in Cannes), it is still fresh and necessary.
It’s fun, thought-provoking and hopeful. Everyone, big or small, should watch and take a step to protect our forests.
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