The Secret of Kells is an animated film produced in Ireland, France and Belgium. It is set in the 8th century in the Monastery of Kells, following the arrival of the Book of Iona (later known as the Book of Kells) and its subsequent completion by young monk Brendan.
The film is a visual masterpiece in my opinion, with art evoking that of Celtic myth and medieval illumination. Its theme of light versus darkness is consistent throughout and through clever juxtaposition, presents this through both geometry and colour.
Frequently compared to the works of Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli, The Secret of Kells uses silence very well without interrupting the discourse. This is, in Japanese, referred to as 'Ma'.
"We have a word for that in Japanese. It’s called ma. Emptiness. It’s there intentionally. [claps his hands] The time in between my clapping is ma. If you just have non-stop action with no breathing space at all, it’s just busyness. but if you take a moment, then the tension building in the film can grow into a wider dimension. If you just have constant tension at 80 degrees all the time you just get numb." - [Roger Ebert's interview with Hayao Miyazaki]
Kells also uses motion graphics to illustrate emotions. For example, when people flip through the Book of Kells, little symbols reminiscent of microscopic life begin to flow over the pages. This ties in with the theme of light versus darkness and pushes it even further into life versus death, backed up by the contrast of the presence of these microscopic images in the realm of Crom Cruach, a pre-Christian Irish demon.
Personally, I feel that the film drags on too much and doesn't quite use ma to the level of expertise that is demonstrated in Miyazaki's films. However, I still believe it is a magnificent film with plenty of atmosphere and brilliant artistic direction.
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