The suicide shop is one of those weird French films. Very hard to place, very odd theme, yet extremely endearing and heartwarming. The subject being so grimdark yet so uplifting really shows how animation can tackle any subject from any angle! Join me on the ride down the dark depths of death, suicide, and hope!
Suicide is now so common that a shop run for generations exists to help people do the deed. Death is beautiful and everyone in the family is on the brink of death always. No smiles are allowed in this shop unless you’re selling a rope! Until one day, a son is born, a smiling son. This son grows up to dislike the darkness that is the suicide shop. Through hijinks, song, and some classic family storytelling he sets out to change the course of tradition!
First of all, this is a musical and a good one at that. Since it is in French I can’t say that the lyrics are very catchy but the rhythms and topics are all very good. It’s like if Disney had a goth/emo phase but still kept up their musical style. The story is unique, the animation is top-notch, and the subject matter is really intriguing! The suicide shop falls between a PG13 and an adult movie in my opinion, this is mostly because of the dark subject matter. But if you have kids that are up for some dark subjects then let them watch this by all means!
I really enjoyed this film. It’s extremely well animated with a great number of well-written and clever songs. The plot is unique and it feels like something that would never fly in the US for example. That’s why this is a movie I recommend anyone to watch. Unless you hate musicals, then this might be a hard movie to swallow. Until next time friends!
