Tangles

The decade-long development of TANGLES, the first animated feature by Leah Nelson, marks a true labour of love. Produced by Vancouver-based studio Giant Ant, the film is set in 1990s San Francisco, where the dreams of Sarah, a young queer woman, start materialising. She is offered a job as an illustrator; her punchy drawings catch attention, and her relationship with the stunning Domino blossoms. However, during a visit to her family home in Maine, Sarah realises something is wrong with her mother Midge. When Midge is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, Sarah must radically readjust her life. Based on the graphic novel by Sarah Leavitt, who co-wrote the script with Nelson and Trev Renney, TANGLES is entirely hand-drawn in black and white with occasional bursts of colour. Driven by a vibrant energy and an immersive narrative, this biographical adult animation portrays an indestructible bond between mother and daughter, the weight of shared memories and the fear of death. Emotional without being sentimental, serious yet spiked with sarcasm and irony, TANGLES is a beautiful exploration of the psychological toll that dementia leaves on an eccentric but deeply united family. (Cristina Álvarez López)

This film is part of the VIENNALE DEBUT CARD: Register for your free card now and get one ticket for this film at the special price of € 8,50. More Info here!

Leah Nelson: SWISS CHALET: A HELPING HAND (2015, K), MAVIS STAINES: SHARING DANCE (2019, K)