--- title: "My Life as a Zucchini: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/my-life-as-a-zucchini/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/my-life-as-a-zucchini" critics_score: 84 critics_reviews: 25 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # My Life as a Zucchini (2016): what the critics said Critics' score 84 from 25 reviews: 25 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. The reviews are uniformly positive, with praise centring on the expressive stop-motion characters and the sensitivity of Céline Sciamma’s screenplay. Most critics find that the film treats childhood trauma frankly without reducing the children to their suffering, giving friendship, humour and small daily pleasures proper attention. The large-eyed figures earn particular admiration for conveying complicated feelings, while the writing is repeatedly credited with finding hope without pity or easy sentimentality. The spread is chiefly one of enthusiasm, though there is a distinct disagreement about tone. The AV Club finds the contrast between grim backstories and insistently cheerful storytelling uneasy, admiring the bold visual design but judging the narrative lightweight and overly reassuring. Most critics regard that balance as a strength rather than a problem; Empire’s reservation is instead that the film’s 66 minutes end too soon, a measure of how few substantial objections recur across the reviews. ## Little White Lies — David Jenkins Rating 3/5/5. 1 June 2017. The critic hails it as a superlative family film that dares to engage with uncomfortable realities, singling out the stop-motion animation and screenplay for their magic and sensitivity. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/my-life-as-a-courgette) ## The i Paper — Matthew Turner Rating ★★★★★. 30 May 2017. The critic calls the stop-motion animation an utter delight that deals with complex subjects from a child's perspective in a sensitive way, with brilliant writing, beautiful animation, and the power to provoke laughter and tears. It is described as one of the best films of the year. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/my-life-as-a-courgette-review-68588) ## Film Comment — Michael Sragow Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). The critic calls the film a modest marvel that balances the difficulties and sweetness of childhood with sardonic humor and sensitivity. They single out its unsparing honesty about the kids’ plight alongside unabashed optimism about their courage and resilience. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/deep-focus-life-zucchini/) ## Financial Times — Nigel Andrews Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 June 2017. This Swiss/French stop-motion feature about a boy nicknamed Courgette in an orphanage is a little masterpiece full of charm, vitality and perfect scripting by Céline Sciamma. The large-headed Plasticine figures and sensitive handling of pre-puberty themes burst with expression and life. [Read the review](https://www.ft.com/content/1c219d20-46b7-11e7-8d27-59b4dd6296b8) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 2 June 2017. This is a lovely little stop-motion animation about an orphaned boy and his friends in a care home, full of gentleness and traditional Frenchness. The expressive character designs and emotional wallchart stand out as highlights in this beguiling 66-minute film. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/jun/02/my-life-as-a-courgette-review-stop-motion-animation) ## The Times — Kevin Maher Rating ★★★★☆. 2 June 2017. This Oscar-nominated Swiss-French animation about a boy sent to an orphanage after a tragic accident with his alcoholic mother is a perfect, indelible portrait of childhood hardship and resilience. The huge-eyed Plasticine figures and sensitive adaptation by Céline Sciamma are singled out for praise. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/article/film-review-my-life-as-a-courgette-b9kls3962) ## Slant Magazine — Christopher Gray Rating 3.5/4. 20 February 2017. The film conveys trauma with understatement and never feels oblique, using restraint and tenderness in its episodic story of orphans processing abandonment. It circumvents bleakness through commitment to understanding and intimacy, indebted to Peanuts with modest whimsy and charming moments. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/my-life-as-a-zucchini/) ## IndieWire — Jude Dry Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 23 February 2017. The Swiss Oscar contender is an animated Short Term 12 that keeps it real by showing kids’ movies don’t have to coddle young viewers with its charming yet unflinching look at damaged orphans finding family. It proves high-end animation can handle heavy themes with heart and authenticity. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/my-life-as-a-zucchini-review-best-animated-feature-1201786230/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 23 February 2017. The film is described as unexpectedly enchanting and bittersweet, offering satisfying movie magic through its stop-motion technique. It is singled out for its resilience, community spirit, and avoidance of sentimentality in depicting the orphans' lives. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-my-life-zucchini-review-20170223-story.html) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 23 February 2017. The stop-motion film uses animation ingeniously to handle tragic child stories, bridging darker elements to illuminate small moments of joy and tenderness in an intimate, economic coming-of-age tale. It is a deft work of empathy on a modest scale that puts viewers in different shoes without a big thesis. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2017/02/my-life-as-a-zucchini-movie-review-intimate-and-sensitive.html) ## Empire — David Parkinson Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 28 May 2017. The critic praises this stop-motion animation as a charming and thought-provoking gem that refuses to sentimentalise the children's backstories, making their bonds plausible and poignant, with expressive characters and joyful details. The only downside noted is its short 66-minute runtime. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/life-courgette-review/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Boyd van Hoeij Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 15 May 2016. Festival review. The stop-motion feature debut lovingly renders a shy orphan's move to a foster home and his connections with other traumatized children, adapted sensitively by Céline Sciamma. It balances offscreen darkness with expressive animation and emotional intimacy that works as a miracle of plasticine storytelling. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/my-life-as-a-courgette-891734/) ## The New York Times — A.O. Scott Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 23 February 2017. The critic finds the stop-motion film charming and gentle in its exploration of harsh circumstances among orphans. It is singled out for its whimsical yet empathetic portrayal of friendship, healing, and everyday details in the children's lives. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/23/movies/my-life-as-a-zucchini-review.html) ## Time Out — Joshua Rothkopf Rating 4/5. 29 May 2017. The critic commends the powerful, heartbreaking stop-motion drama and its rare stillness, singling out the screenplay by Céline Sciamma for its aching empathy without pity. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/my-life-as-a-courgette) ## Variety — Peter Debruge Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 15 May 2016. Festival review. The review praises the stop-motion film's simple storytelling and ability to balance melancholy with levity from a child's perspective. It is singled out for its realistic emotional depth and commitment to feeling real while remaining appealing. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2016/film/reviews/my-life-as-a-courgette-review-1201766688/) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 15 May 2016. Festival review. The critic calls it a compact triumph of stop-motion animation in a bittersweet tale of an orphan, singling out the tone that blends good and bad news with kindness and the visual highlights. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/my-life-as-a-courgette-cannes-review/5103627.article) ## Sight and Sound — Hannah McGill Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 1 June 2017. The critic praises the film's realistic portrayal of damaged children in care and its deft balancing of sadness with hope through stop-motion animation and a script by Céline Sciamma. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/film-week-my-life-courgette-joyful-cartoon-about-damaged-children) ## The AV Club — Mike D'Angelo Rating B-. 22 February 2017. The film is a bizarre tonal mix of grim backstories and relentlessly upbeat present-tense storytelling that never quite evens out, feeling both unusually grim and saccharine at once. It is a pleasure to look at with bold stop-motion design, but the lightweight narrative and manic reassurance after horror feel mismatched. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-oscar-nominated-my-life-as-a-zucchini-is-sweet-whe-1798190465) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 24 February 2017. The critic calls the film a wondrous, character-driven animated delight deserving of its many honors. He singles out its unique stop-motion animation and sophisticated handling of themes like family, adoption, and emerging from darkness. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2017/02/my-life-as-a-zucchini-review-gkids-1201970539/) ## Paste — Dom Sinacola Rating 7.3. 3 March 2017. The film is an unbelievably empathetic stop-motion story that refuses to let the adult world's corruption stain its lively, optimistic hues despite bleak subject matter. It singles out the beautifully small moments and sincere voice work from child actors that convey innocence and warmth. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/my-life-as-a-zucchini/my-life-as-a-zucchini) ## Eye for Film — Amber Wilkinson Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 7 June 2017. The critic highlights the moving and uplifting stop-motion film that packs emotion and truth into its short runtime. They single out the heartfelt script and expressive animation that captures mixed emotions in the characters. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/my-life-as-a-courgette-2016-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson) ## The Playlist — Jordan Ruimy Rating B+. 23 May 2016. Festival review. The critic calls it a simple beauty and keeper that cuts to the heart non-manipulatively. They single out the sumptuous visuals, graphic design, and emotional resonance with non-saccharine uplift. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/cannes-review-claude-barras-animated-drama-life-courgette-simple-beauty-20160523/) ## Consequence Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 25 February 2017. The film is an affecting stop-motion portrait focused on the struggle to find hope after tragedy rather than lingering on the past. It singles out the remarkable depth of empathy and expressive, colorful animation that captures the wide-eyed wonder of the children. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2017/02/film-review-my-life-as-a-zucchini/) ## HeyUGuys — Jo-Ann Titmarsh Rating 4/5. 18 May 2016. Festival review. The critic praises the film's tender handling of difficult subject matter with humor and emotional depth in stop-motion animation. They single out the expressive eyes and the way it makes taboo topics palatable for audiences. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/my-life-as-a-courgette-review/) ## The Skinny — Joseph Walsh Rating ★★★★. 14 February 2017. The critic describes it as a remarkable, emotionally nuanced tale that tugs at the heartstrings with frankness about difficult themes like domestic violence alongside a defiant message of hope. They praise the skill of the director and screenwriter in delivering this tender stop-motion story. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/my-life-as-a-courgette) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/my-life-as-a-zucchini.md