In the broad history of France, one of the lesser mentioned shames was that of the inhumanity shown to the thousands of Spanish exiles, fleeing the rise of Franco’s uprising in Spain. A shame even more palpable since it was recorded by many, not least of all, the Spanish artist and political cartoonist Josep Bartolí. His work (as well as his life) is far less remembered today;  for that reason, filmmaker and fellow artist Aurel Froment (aka Aurel) has brought it to life in this animated rendition.

Rather than following Bartolí through the rote events in his life, Aurel focuses instead of the tale of Serge (Gérard Hernandez), an old and dying man in the modern day. In an effort to connect with his teenage grandson Valentin (David Marsais), he tells him the story of a striking drawing of a dead man’s face, and the years he worked as a guard in the French refugee Internment camps during the Spanish Civil War. It’s during these years that Serge befriends the charismatic artist, Josep (Sergi López), and witnesses the vile cruelty dealt out toward the refugees by his fellow guards and the savagery of the institutions behind them. It’s a friendship that leads them from tragedy to triumph, and from horrors to rare moments of joy.

It’s a curious film. One that moves in fits and starts, never quite driving forwards through time at the pace you might expect. Instead, it makes great leaps of weeks and years at apparent whim as it spans distances from a few feet to oceans. The framing device of the old man’s memory fits this style well enough, and the story even seems to mimic it, as once or twice the events seem to flit out of comprehensible chronology as the elderly Serge’s mind wanders from his tale. Similarly, the art style and animation changes radically as do the events. We’re transported from a vibrant and smooth modern day, to an almost still-framed opening sequence, save for the steady flow of snowfall.

While the novel and unique approach to the art certainly does not lack for any ingenuity, it unfortunately also has the effect of making the piece initially feel rather cumbersome and ugly. As the film progresses, it becomes more apparent that there is method to what initially seems like amateur filmmaking. The overall effect, however, is jarring, and one that takes some time to sit easily with an audience. Moreover, the film has no intention of holding the hands of the audience. Serge’s story is about Josep, but the particulars of his life, such as Josep’s liaison with Frida Kahlo, seem so otherworldly as to resemble a fantasy. If it was not common knowledge that the pair had been lovers in real life, it conceivably could have been simply another embellishment of the old man’s memory of his friend.

It’s an occasionally touching and often harrowing experience. It’s also one that is perhaps a little on the niche side, and when drawn together with similar historical animated films, it does pale a little. Still, as the first film from Aurel, it’s far from a failure, and can be fairly appreciated as a piece of art in and of itself.

Screening as part of the Catalan Film Festival 2020