The Grand Illusion

Directors Chiara Malta and Sébastien Laudenbach (THE GIRL WITHOUT HANDS) unleash a unique visual marvel of hand-painted animation with bright, color-blocked characters, and a story that is an intoxicating blend of slapstick comedy, musical, and family drama.

Paulette feels guilty after unjustly punishing her daughter Linda and would do anything to make it up to her. Linda immediately asks for a meal of chicken with peppers, which reminds her of the dish her father used to make. But with a general strike closing stores all across town and pushing people into the streets, this innocent request quickly leads to an outrageous series of events that spirals out of control, as Paulette does everything she can to keep her promise and find a chicken for Linda. Through this adventure, mother and daughter confront the grief of an unspoken tragedy, and the meal that could finally bring them closer together.

In French with English subtitles.

“[A] modest masterwork… Malta and Laudenbach have crafted an entertaining, kid-friendly toon whose power lies less in its plot than the surprising insights into human behavior revealed along the way.” Peter Debruge, Variety

“One of the best animated movies in years… [this] extraordinary film draws an ocean of feeling from just a few splashes of color.” David Ehrlich, indieWire