We continue our series of reviews chronicling all of the (non-Studio Ghibli) animated films distributed by GKIDS Films — some of the most original and breathtakingly beautiful animated films from around the world — and how they hold up for a young American audience.

The entire retrospective is found here, and this time we’ve got…

Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles (2018): Salvador Simó, director

What’s it about?

Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles is a bit of an enigma. It’s a fictionalized account of a true story of a filmmaker making a fictionalized documentary. I’ll give you a second to wrap your head around that.

Luis Buñuel was very much a real filmmaker, often associated with the surrealist movement of the 1920s… and with his friend (and rival) Salvador Dalí. This film takes place in the wake of his controversial and scandalous L’age d’Or in 1930. It follows Buñuel and his friend Ramón Acín as they travel to one of the poorest and most remote regions of Spain to film what would eventually become the “documentary” Las Hurdes: Tierra Sin Pan (1933) – Land without Bread.

I put documentary in scare quotes since this film makes it clear how Buñuel intentionally fictionalized various aspects of his original and went out of his way to set up certain shots to match the images he wanted to convey and the story he wanted to tell – truth and reality be damned.

It also effectively intersperses footage from Buñuel’s film with the animation to show those results and how he crafted a fictional narrative of life in the Las Hurdes region of Spain. Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles (a reference to warren of ramshackle structures Las Hurdes looks like from a distance) is a portrait not only of a creative pioneer at his height but also of the creative restrictions Buñuel faced during 1930s Spain and France.

What are the cultures at play? And how about the languages?

Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles is a Spanish film with dialogue in both Spanish and French. Most of the film takes place in the Las Hurdes region of Spain’s Extremadura in the early 1930s. It is, therefore, fairly foreign for most modern viewers, but the film presents everything in such a way that it doesn’t feel particularly unfamiliar.

Unfortunately, like Buñuel’s Las Hurdes: Tierra Sin Pan, this film looks at the residents of Las Hurdes through Buñuel’s eyes. It doesn’t give them a voice or present their unique perspectives, which is a failing of the film. Director Simó doesn’t shy away from showing Buñuel’s flaws, so his goal isn’t to put Buñuel on a pedestal. Quite the opposite, actually.

This film would’ve been much more powerful if it took the time and cared enough to present a strong perspective among the people Buñuel dehumanized and caricatured. It would also help the modern viewer understand the original film’s controversy and the lasting effects it had on people in the region (something explored in the Blu-ray’s special features).

Will my kids like it? Is there anything objectionable for young kids?

There are a few scenes that might upset young kids. Buñuel’s original film featured scenes of people pulling the heads of chickens, mountain goats falling to their death, and a young girl dying of starvation. This film also presents those scenes – along with what Buñuel had to do to get those shots. And I should mention that those scenes are presented as animation along with the original live-action scenes from Buñuel’s film. There’s also a short dream sequence that features brief female nudity.

All that being said, I wouldn’t say Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles is aggressively inappropriate for kids. Kids 12 and up (or so) might be on board and find it interesting. Maybe just check it out before letting the little ones watch.

Will I like it?

I really enjoyed it, and I went into it knowing nothing about Luis Buñuel or his films. The film does a great job contextualizing the events, and it even ends with an explanation of what eventually happened to the major characters. Spoiler alert – they didn’t all live happily ever after once the Spanish Civil War broke out.

How can I see it?

GKIDS and Shout Factory recently released a Blu-ray edition of the film, which includes the feature-length documentary Buñuel’s Prisoners from 2000 (about the real-life residents of Las Hurdes and the lasting effect Buñuel’s film had on them), an interview with director Salvador Simó, and a few trailers. It’s available from all the usual outlets, including Amazon.

Final word?

As a window into a time and place that’s mostly unknown to modern audiences, Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles is fascinating. It’ll make you want to find some of Buñuel’s original films (thankfully, many are on YouTube… in various degrees of legality) and learn more about not only Buñuel himself but also the larger surrealist movement of the time. Give it a shot.