French gem Blaise is a joyous, laugh-out-loud funny delight. It’s these kind of strange indie films that really mark the medium as all-encompassing. Those who think animation is strictly a cartoon for kids are missing out. A memorable oddity that embraces being different, much like its lovable protagonist, Blaise balances cringe comedy and political activism with whimsical charm.
This quirky comedy centers on teenage Blaise, a big-eared boy who doesn’t fit in with the other kids, and his guidance counselor is worried. That all changes when he meets the firecracker that is Josephine. Josephine forms her own path of oddity against Blaise, making the inevitable relationship that blossoms between them that much funnier. Blaise himself gets sucked into the world of performative activism, attending riots for causes he doesn’t even begin to comprehend. Naturally, most of this is to impress a girl. Perhaps Blaise fears that she will not accept him for his supposed normalcy; meanwhile, Josephine hides a secret of her own as she comes from a super wealthy family, yet hides much of herself initially from Blaise.
Blaise’s mother Carole and father Jacques both receive separate arcs, though the father’s mainly just involves him being a total doofus. The mother is a new manager at her company, one the other employees seem to hate. But when she takes a shine to a particular co-worker, everything might change. Some of Carole’s situational comedy is among the best in the movie. When she essentially invites herself to a two-person gathering that her coworker is having, things spiral out of control as they end up at a dance club together. The dynamic between employer and employee blurs, perfectly rife for comedic commentary. For the father’s end of the story, he constantly gets underestimated by everyone he comes into contact with, including a family friend who casually insults his intelligence. This leads him to start therapy with none other than his son’s school guidance counselor. Jacques’s hijinks are silly and small scale compared to the other two members of his family.
Blaise consistently impressed me, mainly because the odd animation style, with giant heads on smaller bodies, evoked a 90s nostalgia for me. At times I felt like I was watching Life with Loopy. Characters feature unusually small heads atop oversized bodies, subtly emphasizing Blaise’s own feelings of awkwardness and social discomfort. That unconventional artistic choice initially feels strange, yet gradually becomes part of the film’s identity. Combined with expressive facial animation and grounded environments, the visuals create an uncanny yet fascinating aesthetic. The style of animation sits perfectly next to the quirky idiosyncrasies of Blaise.
More filmmakers need to explore avenues of creativity when it comes to animation. This French movie has such a distinct style that I found myself giggling along to even the most basic character interactions. Some character models are over-exaggerated. The whimsical score gives Blaise a nostalgic quality, with that unmistakable Saturday morning cartoon energy, in a Rugrats kind of way. Even with a relatively short runtime, it does feel padded with some unnecessary filler. Additionally, the ending itself doesn’t exactly close anything off. If anything, they leave plenty of room for a sequel or a TV continuation. Should that happen, I would gladly follow further adventures of Blaise and his highly dysfunctional family dynamic. Overflowing with originality and existing somewhere in the realm of preposterous yet believable, Blaise find success in depicting a dysfunctional family on the verge of total collapse.
Blaise screened at 2026’s Fantasia International Film Festival.
