I Lost My Body · reception & legacy
2019 · Jérémy Clapin
How I Lost My Body has been received, argued over, and remembered.
The arc
It premiered as a word-of-mouth sensation — first animated film ever to win the Critics' Week Grand Prize at Cannes in 2019 — then Netflix scooped it up and turned a tiny French indie into a global cult item almost overnight; it's only grown in stature as a high-water mark for grown-up animation.
What's debated
The evergreen gripe: it lost the Best Animated Feature Oscar to Toy Story 4, and film fans still cite that as Exhibit A in the 'the Academy just votes for whatever Pixar made' debate.
Its footprint
It's become shorthand for what adult, non-studio animation can be — routinely invoked alongside Klaus in the '2019 was robbed' discourse — and Dan Levy's synth score has a devoted afterlife of its own on playlists and in reviews.
Where it stands
A certified Letterboxd darling and canon climber — the 'trust me, just watch it' recommendation of modern French animation.