The Day of the Crows Le jour des corneilles

A film depicting life in the heart of a forest where a boy and his father’s only companions are the animals and sylvan spirits. A film with an enchanting visual imagery centring on the pursuit of love.

In a cabin deep in the forest, a child and his father lead a wild life in utmost isolation. The child grows up fearing and admiring his father, who in his disappointment with the world abandons civilisation and denies his son access too. The boy feels more and more affinity with the ghosts haunting the forest – anthropomorphic animals, among others also his mother, who has assumed the image of a doe after having relinquished the human world. Only the people looking with their hearts can see the good spirits. One day the father breaks his leg and the son takes him to a neighbouring village to be aided by the good doctor and his daughter, Manon. A film about the need for human companionship and love, combining the fictional world of Japanese anime with the sensitivity of French animation.

“When I discovered The Day of the Crows, the importance and place of nature touched me greatly. So my approach was similar to that of the Impressionists, use light to create an atmosphere. Since childhood, my mind has used light to preserve memories and I dreamt for a long time of making a film in which one feels well, in all weather and all seasons.” (Jean-Christophe Dessaint)

Dessaint began his career as an animation director for television series and subsequently on feature films Tous à l'Ouest: Une aventure de Lucky Luke (Olivier Jean Marie, 2007) and Le chat du rabbin (Antoine Delesvaux, Joann Sfar, 2011). The Day of the Crows is his first feature animation film.