{"id":1838487,"date":"2026-03-21T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-21T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1838487"},"modified":"2026-03-21T09:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T06:00:00","slug":"arco-a-striking-soul-stirring-sci-fi-about-lonely-kids-in-2075","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1838487","title":{"rendered":"Arco, a striking, soul-stirring sci-fi about lonely kids in 2075"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/216-0-2517-1678\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442132.png&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article class=\"main-article standard \">\n<div class=\"article-main-content article-wrapper has-media-but-its-an-image\" data-status=\"loaded\" data-primary-article=\"true\" data-url=\"\/film-tv\/article\/69952\/1\/arco-a-visually-striking-soul-stirring-science-fantasy-ugo-bienvenu-interview\" data-article-id=\"69952\">\n<header class=\"article-header has-landscape-image no-media\">\n<div class=\"wrapper dg-max-width\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<figure class=\"main-img has-figcaption\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.79\" data-template=\"Standard Article\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Arco\" class=\"img\" height=\"1679\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1400\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442132.png\" width=\"3000\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"inner\"><span class=\"credit\">Arco<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"inner\"><time datetime=\"2026-03-21T09:00:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"21 March 2026\"><span class=\"month\">March<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"21\">21,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<div class=\"titles\">\n<div class=\"tags\">\n<div class=\"sections\"><a class=\"category vertical - film-tv\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\">Film &amp; TV<\/a><br \/>\n\/<br \/>\n<a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/feature\">Feature<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"standard-tag-container\"><a class=\"standard-category\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\">Film &amp; TV<\/a> \/<br \/>\n<a class=\"standard-series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/feature\">Feature<\/a><\/div>\n<h1 class=\"title\"><span>Arco, a striking, soul-stirring sci-fi about lonely kids <span class=\"nowrap\">in 2075<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<div class=\"standfirst\">\n<h2>French illustrator and filmmaker Ugo Bienvenu\u2019s Oscar-nominated film follows nine-year-old time-traveller Arco, who meets 10-year-old Iris after crash-landing in <span class=\"nowrap\">the future<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-03-21T09:00:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"21 March 2026\"><span class=\"month\">March<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"21\">21,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-03-21T09:00:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"21 March 2026\"><span class=\"month\">March<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"21\">21,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/p>\n<div class=\"providers\">\n<div class=\"contributors\"><span class=\"contributor\" data-contributor-role=\"Text\"><span class=\"contributor-role\">Text<\/span><a class=\"contributor-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/user\/NickChen\">Nick Chen<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article-body-container\">\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"dazed-gallery has-10-images \">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<header>\n<div class=\"info\"><span class=\"heading\">Arco<\/span><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"gallery\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumbs\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/gallery\/36870\/0\/arco\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Arco\" class=\"img\" height=\"1075\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-1612-1075\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442128.png\" width=\"1612\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/gallery\/36870\/1\/arco\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Arco\" class=\"img\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-1620-1080\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442129.png\" width=\"1620\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/gallery\/36870\/2\/arco\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Arco\" class=\"img\" height=\"1689\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-2533-1689\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442130.png\" width=\"2533\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/gallery\/36870\/3\/arco\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Arco\" class=\"img\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-1620-1080\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442131.png\" width=\"1620\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/gallery\/36870\/4\/arco\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Arco\" class=\"img\" height=\"1678\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/216-0-2517-1678\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442132.png\" width=\"2517\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/gallery\/36870\/5\/arco\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Arco\" class=\"img\" height=\"1691\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-2536-1691\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442133.png\" width=\"2536\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-footer\">Gallery \/ 10 images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p>Ugo Bienvenu\u2019s handiwork should already be familiar to cinephiles. On <em>Eden<\/em>, Mia Hansen-L\u00f8ve\u2019s 2014 drama based on her DJ brother\u2019s friendship with Daft Punk, Bienvenu was a hand double for the main character. \u201cThe actor [F\u00e9lix de Givry] didn\u2019t know how to draw,\u201d Bienvenu tells me in Durrant\u2019s Hotel, in between bites of duck pasta. \u201cEvery time he\u2019s drawing, that\u2019s my hand!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bienvenu, a 38-year-old French illustrator and filmmaker, has a busy day ahead. The previous week, his directorial debut, <em>Arco<\/em>, was nominated for the Best Animated Feature Oscar. Tonight, he\u2019s taking part in a post-screening Q&amp;A with Natalie Portman, a producer on the film, and Alfonso Cuar\u00f3n as the moderator. Bienvenu, then, isn\u2019t afraid to name drop: Brady Corbet was full of praise; Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk called it the best film he\u2019s ever seen; Steven Spielberg sent a letter of appreciation. \u201cI love that directors don\u2019t talk about it as an animated film,\u201d says Bienvenu. \u201cThey see it as an actual movie.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Arco<\/em> was written by Bienvenu and de Givry, the pair having met on the set of <em>Eden<\/em>, and there is indeed a hint of Daft Punk to the movie\u2019s robot-heavy vision of the future. In 2075, a 10-year-old girl, Iris (Romy Fay), eats dinner at home with holograms of her workaholic, absent parents. In their place is an android nanny, Mikki (Portman and Mark Ruffalo speaking at the same time), whose labour is both manual and emotional. Even at school, Iris and her classmates are taught by a talking computer. What blows her mind, tech-wise, though, is when she stumbles upon a 9-year-old boy, Arco (Juliano Krue Valdi), who\u2019s travelled back in time from 2932.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src-youtube video-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-youtube\" data-id=\"2jjVWWZ7hWk\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowfullscreen frameborder height=\"422\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2jjVWWZ7hWk\" webkitallowfullscreen width=\"750\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p>While sci-fi films typically present the future as overtly dystopian, <em>Arco<\/em> colourfully depicts 2075 on Earth as simultaneously frightening and saveable. There is, the film suggests, reason to still have hope: next to the rampant fires are corners of nature that have survived. \u201cThe movie is all about how the only thing that will allow change is our imagination,\u201d says Bienvenu. \u201cIf we want things to change, we have to imagine how we want the world first.\u201d He argues that his vision of 2075 is merely an exaggerated version of 2026. \u201cMikki is like AI. The holograms are like Zoom sessions. It\u2019s a world of indifference.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Chased by three conspiracy theorists (Will Ferrell, Andy Samberg, Flea) who want to prove the existence of time travel, Arco is assisted by Iris in camouflaging himself in the 2075 environment until he\u2019s able to transport back to 2932. The action set-pieces take full advantage of the medium: Arco speeds through clouds with a rainbow-coloured cape; robots chase the kids through a room full of simulated dinosaurs; climate change leads to wildfires painting the streets molten red.<\/p>\n<p>The science doesn\u2019t exactly make sense, nor is it meant to. Bienvenu argues that the average person doesn\u2019t know how their smartphone works, so why should he explain time travel? \u201cA producer told me that what I couldn\u2019t explain, shouldn\u2019t be in the movie,\u201d he says. \u201cBut I realised that everything I couldn\u2019t understand, <em>had<\/em> to be in the movie, because it was deeper than me.\u201d He complains that too many filmmakers use the conscious part of their brain, rather than their unconscious thoughts. \u201cIt\u2019s like watching someone do IKEA furniture in front of you. It\u2019s so boring. You know what the next shot will be.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>Children know when you lie and tell the truth. As a kid, I hated when adults would lie to me<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p>For 15 years, Bienvenu has been authoring graphic novels, including 2019\u2019s <em>System Preference<\/em>. \u201cDrawing is the direct link with the unconscious,\u201d he says. \u201cIf you\u2019re a director of animation, you should draw.\u201d Story ideas come from taking a pen to a blank page? \u201cIt\u2019s drawing, then writing, then drawing, then writing. Cinema is about images. If directors don\u2019t know how to draw, they write, and they try to use text to bring the images. But I can bring you the frames right away. Animation shouldn\u2019t be financed based on a script \u2013 it should be the drawings. Akira Kurosawa\u2019s movies came from him drawing his storyboards.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The 2D animation of <em>Arco<\/em> certainly has a hand-crafted quality that\u2019s redolent of Bienvenu\u2019s drawing background, especially as Mikki is a character from <em>System Preference<\/em>. Moreover, Bienvenu cites inspirations such as old Disney movies and Hayao Miyazaki. In fact, <em>Arco<\/em> has been repeatedly referred to by critics as France\u2019s version of Studio Ghibli. The director believes there are a few overlaps: the lack of violence, the role of the unconscious, and the interplay between humans and nature.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve been working for 15 years in this style, and nobody in France has told me about Miyazaki. They told me I was like Moebius. But Miyazaki was influenced by Moebius, so perhaps the wheel has [been completed]. I\u2019m honoured because Miyazaki is one of the best artists ever. Sometimes people want to put you in a box. But to me, it\u2019s the best box ever.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"80c4064f-1b85-4d95-a38a-b41300f33a42\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1909\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442136.png\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.77\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Arco\" class=\"img\" height=\"1079\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/786\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442136.png\" width=\"1909\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"credit\">Arco<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p>Like Studio Ghibli\u2019s filmography, <em>Arco<\/em> can be appreciated by audiences of all ages. After screenings, Bienvenu has noticed that kids and adults have similar responses to the film. \u201cAs a kid, nobody respected the adult in me, and now I\u2019m an adult, I feel like no one respects my inner child,\u201d he says. \u201cChildren are so intelligent, and most of the time we make them stupid by telling them bad stories, thinking they can\u2019t understand things. But children know when you lie and tell the truth. As a kid, I hated when adults would lie to me. So I want the movie to tell kids, \u2018The world isn\u2019t good now, but we can build a better one. Our imagination makes things better.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Throughout the interview, Bienvenu repeatedly uses the word \u201cimagination\u201d, and, without me mentioning it, he goes off on a rant about despising AI. Storytelling, the director says, comes from human emotions, whereas AI relies on data. \u201cEverybody has an imagination, and it makes life better. When you pee, you imagine. When you cook, you imagine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Do you imagine when you pee, because you\u2019re not using a phone? \u201cYeah,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen we\u2019re bored and having an idea, our phone rings. We used to be in the cave of our subconscious, finding ideas. We really have to stop doing all this shit with AI and phones, and go back to our inner selves.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Arco<em> is out in UK cinemas now<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. 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Falling\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/0-2-3000-1995\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441345.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\"> Sound of Falling is the most experimental teen drama of all time<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"swiper-slide list-element\">\n<div class=\"scard-latest__section\">\n<div class=\"card-latest__wrapper\"><a class=\"card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/article\/69864\/1\/everyone-needs-to-leave-timothee-chalamet-alone-opera-ballet-cinema\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Timoth&#233;e Chalamet\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/371-58-2584-1719\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441141.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">Everyone needs to calm down about Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a class=\"card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/article\/69817\/1\/should-northern-roles-go-to-northern-actors-beatles-biopic-wuthering-heights\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Beatles\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/123-0-1342-893\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/0\/1440240.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">Northern roles should go to northern actors<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a class=\"card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/article\/69788\/1\/the-testament-of-ann-lee-amanda-seyfried-mona-fastvold-film-interview-2026\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Testament of Ann Lee\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/899-0-1386-922\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/9\/1439796.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">Amanda Seyfried: \u2018Community is everything. Socialism is a beautiful idea\u2019<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline\" data-newsletter hidden>\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"dazed-gallery has-10-images \">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<header>\n<div class=\"info\"><span class=\"heading\">Arco<\/span><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"gallery\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumbs\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/gallery\/36870\/0\/arco\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Arco\" class=\"img\" height=\"1075\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-1612-1075\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442128.png\" width=\"1612\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/gallery\/36870\/1\/arco\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Arco\" class=\"img\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-1620-1080\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442129.png\" width=\"1620\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/gallery\/36870\/2\/arco\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Arco\" class=\"img\" height=\"1689\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-2533-1689\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442130.png\" width=\"2533\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/gallery\/36870\/3\/arco\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Arco\" class=\"img\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-1620-1080\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442131.png\" width=\"1620\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/gallery\/36870\/4\/arco\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Arco\" class=\"img\" height=\"1678\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/216-0-2517-1678\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442132.png\" width=\"2517\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/gallery\/36870\/5\/arco\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Arco\" class=\"img\" height=\"1691\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-2536-1691\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442133.png\" width=\"2536\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-footer\">Gallery \/ 10 images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p>Ugo Bienvenu\u2019s handiwork should already be familiar to cinephiles. On <em>Eden<\/em>, Mia Hansen-L\u00f8ve\u2019s 2014 drama based on her DJ brother\u2019s friendship with Daft Punk, Bienvenu was a hand double for the main character. \u201cThe actor [F\u00e9lix de Givry] didn\u2019t know how to draw,\u201d Bienvenu tells me in Durrant\u2019s Hotel, in between bites of duck pasta. \u201cEvery time he\u2019s drawing, that\u2019s my hand!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bienvenu, a 38-year-old French illustrator and filmmaker, has a busy day ahead. The previous week, his directorial debut, <em>Arco<\/em>, was nominated for the Best Animated Feature Oscar. Tonight, he\u2019s taking part in a post-screening Q&amp;A with Natalie Portman, a producer on the film, and Alfonso Cuar\u00f3n as the moderator. Bienvenu, then, isn\u2019t afraid to name drop: Brady Corbet was full of praise; Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk called it the best film he\u2019s ever seen; Steven Spielberg sent a letter of appreciation. \u201cI love that directors don\u2019t talk about it as an animated film,\u201d says Bienvenu. \u201cThey see it as an actual movie.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Arco<\/em> was written by Bienvenu and de Givry, the pair having met on the set of <em>Eden<\/em>, and there is indeed a hint of Daft Punk to the movie\u2019s robot-heavy vision of the future. In 2075, a 10-year-old girl, Iris (Romy Fay), eats dinner at home with holograms of her workaholic, absent parents. In their place is an android nanny, Mikki (Portman and Mark Ruffalo speaking at the same time), whose labour is both manual and emotional. Even at school, Iris and her classmates are taught by a talking computer. What blows her mind, tech-wise, though, is when she stumbles upon a 9-year-old boy, Arco (Juliano Krue Valdi), who\u2019s travelled back in time from 2932.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src-youtube video-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-youtube\" data-id=\"2jjVWWZ7hWk\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowfullscreen frameborder height=\"422\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2jjVWWZ7hWk\" webkitallowfullscreen width=\"750\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p>While sci-fi films typically present the future as overtly dystopian, <em>Arco<\/em> colourfully depicts 2075 on Earth as simultaneously frightening and saveable. There is, the film suggests, reason to still have hope: next to the rampant fires are corners of nature that have survived. \u201cThe movie is all about how the only thing that will allow change is our imagination,\u201d says Bienvenu. \u201cIf we want things to change, we have to imagine how we want the world first.\u201d He argues that his vision of 2075 is merely an exaggerated version of 2026. \u201cMikki is like AI. The holograms are like Zoom sessions. It\u2019s a world of indifference.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Chased by three conspiracy theorists (Will Ferrell, Andy Samberg, Flea) who want to prove the existence of time travel, Arco is assisted by Iris in camouflaging himself in the 2075 environment until he\u2019s able to transport back to 2932. The action set-pieces take full advantage of the medium: Arco speeds through clouds with a rainbow-coloured cape; robots chase the kids through a room full of simulated dinosaurs; climate change leads to wildfires painting the streets molten red.<\/p>\n<p>The science doesn\u2019t exactly make sense, nor is it meant to. Bienvenu argues that the average person doesn\u2019t know how their smartphone works, so why should he explain time travel? \u201cA producer told me that what I couldn\u2019t explain, shouldn\u2019t be in the movie,\u201d he says. \u201cBut I realised that everything I couldn\u2019t understand, <em>had<\/em> to be in the movie, because it was deeper than me.\u201d He complains that too many filmmakers use the conscious part of their brain, rather than their unconscious thoughts. \u201cIt\u2019s like watching someone do IKEA furniture in front of you. It\u2019s so boring. You know what the next shot will be.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>Children know when you lie and tell the truth. As a kid, I hated when adults would lie to me<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p>For 15 years, Bienvenu has been authoring graphic novels, including 2019\u2019s <em>System Preference<\/em>. \u201cDrawing is the direct link with the unconscious,\u201d he says. \u201cIf you\u2019re a director of animation, you should draw.\u201d Story ideas come from taking a pen to a blank page? \u201cIt\u2019s drawing, then writing, then drawing, then writing. Cinema is about images. If directors don\u2019t know how to draw, they write, and they try to use text to bring the images. But I can bring you the frames right away. Animation shouldn\u2019t be financed based on a script \u2013 it should be the drawings. Akira Kurosawa\u2019s movies came from him drawing his storyboards.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The 2D animation of <em>Arco<\/em> certainly has a hand-crafted quality that\u2019s redolent of Bienvenu\u2019s drawing background, especially as Mikki is a character from <em>System Preference<\/em>. Moreover, Bienvenu cites inspirations such as old Disney movies and Hayao Miyazaki. In fact, <em>Arco<\/em> has been repeatedly referred to by critics as France\u2019s version of Studio Ghibli. The director believes there are a few overlaps: the lack of violence, the role of the unconscious, and the interplay between humans and nature.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve been working for 15 years in this style, and nobody in France has told me about Miyazaki. They told me I was like Moebius. But Miyazaki was influenced by Moebius, so perhaps the wheel has [been completed]. I\u2019m honoured because Miyazaki is one of the best artists ever. Sometimes people want to put you in a box. But to me, it\u2019s the best box ever.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"80c4064f-1b85-4d95-a38a-b41300f33a42\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1909\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442136.png\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.77\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Arco\" class=\"img\" height=\"1079\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/786\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442136.png\" width=\"1909\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"credit\">Arco<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p>Like Studio Ghibli\u2019s filmography, <em>Arco<\/em> can be appreciated by audiences of all ages. After screenings, Bienvenu has noticed that kids and adults have similar responses to the film. \u201cAs a kid, nobody respected the adult in me, and now I\u2019m an adult, I feel like no one respects my inner child,\u201d he says. \u201cChildren are so intelligent, and most of the time we make them stupid by telling them bad stories, thinking they can\u2019t understand things. But children know when you lie and tell the truth. As a kid, I hated when adults would lie to me. So I want the movie to tell kids, \u2018The world isn\u2019t good now, but we can build a better one. Our imagination makes things better.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Throughout the interview, Bienvenu repeatedly uses the word \u201cimagination\u201d, and, without me mentioning it, he goes off on a rant about despising AI. Storytelling, the director says, comes from human emotions, whereas AI relies on data. \u201cEverybody has an imagination, and it makes life better. When you pee, you imagine. When you cook, you imagine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Do you imagine when you pee, because you\u2019re not using a phone? \u201cYeah,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen we\u2019re bored and having an idea, our phone rings. We used to be in the cave of our subconscious, finding ideas. We really have to stop doing all this shit with AI and phones, and go back to our inner selves.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Arco<em> is out in UK cinemas now<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/article\/69952\/1\/arco-a-visually-striking-soul-stirring-science-fantasy-ugo-bienvenu-interview&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/216-0-2517-1678\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442132.png&#8221;] Arco March\u00a0 21,\u00a0 2026 Film &amp; TV \/ Feature Film &amp; TV \/ Feature Arco, a striking, soul-stirring sci-fi about lonely kids in 2075 French illustrator and filmmaker Ugo Bienvenu\u2019s Oscar-nominated film follows nine-year-old time-traveller Arco, who meets 10-year-old Iris after crash-landing in the future March\u00a0 21,\u00a0 2026 March\u00a0 21,\u00a0 2026 TextNick [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,76],"class_list":["post-1838487","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-dazeddigital-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1838487","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1838487"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1838487\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1838487"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1838487"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1838487"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}