Living Large (2024) ‘Annecy’ Movie Review: A Well-Meaning, Sensitive Film that Explores the Complex Nature of Obesity 

Obesity is a complex issue. But the content saturating social media has reduced it to a simple narrative – ‘People are just eating more than they need, and they shouldn’t do so.’ At times, obesity may just be a result of overconsumption of the kinds of food that don’t help your health. It can certainly lead to many health problems along the way. However, the lack of control of their eating habits isn’t always a result of personal preference. Besides possible genetic patterns, it can be rooted in several psychological issues that go unnoticed. Kristina Dufková’s “Living Large” understands that and explores it in her sensitive narrative.

“Living Large” revolves around 13-year-old Ben after the start of his new school year. At home, he lives with his mother, while his father lives with another partner. Ben enjoys making music with his friends, Eric and Sonia. Besides, he is a foodie who also loves preparing food for himself. But he doesn’t realize that his usual diet lacks the nutrients necessary for better nourishment. As a kid just in his early teens, he may have never thought of food that way. Regardless, his diet pattern starts to affect his physical health and his social life.

At school, the nutritionist checks on Ben’s health. She points out that the habits are detrimental to his overall nourishment. Max and his gang overhear that and start incessantly bullying Ben for being overweight. They make it difficult for him to accept himself for the way he is. Because of their taunts and harassment, Ben remains largely worried about his time in school. While being overly conscious about his weight, he falls for Claire, a beautiful classmate and a swimmer. However, because of his physical appearance, he thinks he should stop wishing he could be with her.

During the physical education classes, Ben fears being laughed at. The school lets Ben’s parents know about Ben’s physical health concerns. So, Ben’s parents take him to see a professional for a remedy. Eventually, they end up enforcing a rigid diet plan on Ben and cutting him off anything that makes him gain weight. They do not care enough about his mental health and the root cause behind his eating habits. Besides, they do not realize that things like cakes and sweets bring joy to Ben’s life. So, Ben goes into a shell, becomes overly anxious, and fears interacting with others.

“Living Large” follows a range of teen drama tropes. It follows an adolescent kid going through puberty and experiencing his first love while realizing things about himself that he didn’t notice before. He goes through a journey of character growth, which isn’t particularly unconventional. Whether it’s Ben, his parents, or the bullies, the characters are surrogates for similar characters we have seen in numerous coming-of-age dramas. Besides, the film is preachy and rarely subtle about its intent. However, judging from its overall tone, it seems to be made for kids rather than for adults. So, I will not hold my criticisms against it.

On the whole, “Living Large” shares a couple of compelling lessons for the kids. It advocates for acceptance and understands the necessity of it for any change. Although weight gain can lead to many troubles, the film understands that the process of making better choices needs to be steady and gradual, not sudden and reactionary. In this process, Claire is kind and compassionate. She makes Ben realize that he shouldn’t consider his appearance to be a burden or a roadblock for people to accept him. If they are kind and understanding, they will adapt to the differences and be more accepting. The film also shows kids getting bored of bullying and being more mature about making empathetic choices, which kids should learn at a young age.

“Living Large” blends its central stop-motion animation with a few glimpses of 2D animation. Although the animation style takes a bit to get used to, it eventually grows on you. The animators use their tools to effectively portray a range of emotions in Ben’s journey. The scene exploring Ben’s darkest fears and paranoia while going through his mindscape is rendered remarkably well. Overall, with a heartwarming message of acceptance, “Living Large” will be a delightful watch for children.

Read More: The 10 Best Adult Animated Shows of the Decade (2010s)

Living Large (2024) ‘Annecy’ Movie Links: IMDb, Letterboxd