Oct. 12, 2016|Switzerland | France|66 Min.|PG-13
Genre: Animation;Drama;Family
Description: “My Life as a Zucchini” (2016) is a heartfelt animated film set in Switzerland during the 2010s. The story follows Icare, a young boy who lives with his mother, an alcoholic struggling after being abandoned by Icare’s father. One day, in a drunken rage, his mother chases him, and in a tragic accident, Icare accidentally pushes her down the stairs, resulting in her death. During his police deposition, Icare reveals that he prefers to be called “Courgette,” a nickname his mother gave him. He keeps a beer can of hers and a handmade kite with a drawing of his father as a superhero as mementos.
Officer Raymond takes Courgette to an orphanage, where he meets Simon, a boy who initially bullies him. After a fight over the kite, Simon warms up to Courgette and shares the backgrounds of the other children in the orphanage, whose parents are either deceased or in trouble with the law. Courgette, in turn, shares the story of his mother’s death.
Later, a new girl named Camille arrives at the orphanage, and Courgette instantly develops a crush on her. Simon and Courgette discover that Camille’s father killed her mother for infidelity before taking his own life. Camille has a living aunt, but she only wants custody for financial gain. During a trip to a snow resort, Courgette and Camille bond, and he transforms his mother’s beer can into a toy boat for her.
Courgette grows closer to Officer Raymond, who regularly receives letters and drawings from him. Raymond plans to spend a holiday with Courgette, but Camille sneaks into the trip instead. Despite initial reluctance, Raymond takes both children to an amusement park and later to his home, where he reveals he has a distant son. The outing is cut short when Camille’s aunt abruptly takes her away.
Cast director: Claude Barras
Cast actor: Michel Vuillermoz, Paulin Jaccoud, Sixtine Murat, Gaspard Schlatter, Estelle Hennard, Raul Ribera, Elliot Sanchez, Lou Wick, Brigitte Rosset, Natacha Koutchoumov
Original name: Ma vie de courgette