by Alex Billington
May 14, 2026
“Animation is cinema. Animation is not a genre for kids. It’s a medium for art, it’s a medium for film.”–Guillermo del Toro. This animated film from the 2026 Cannes Film Festival is one of the highlights of 2026 so far when it comes to animation. Tangles is the feature directorial debut from up-and-coming filmmaker Leah Nelson, adapting a graphic novel by Sarah Leavitt. Her book is subtitled “A Story About Alzheimer’s, My Mother and Me” – it’s an autobiographical tale of her experiences with a mother whose memory begins to degrade. Leah Nelson & her team took this story and turned it into an absolutely beautiful animated film, embracing the same B&W style from the graphic novel. Tangles is a B&W film with a few glimmers of color that pop up throughout. It’s an emotionally devastating, unashamedly compassionate, brutally honest look at Alzheimer’s disease and how hard it is for other family members to deal with when it gets worse. Yet it’s also an emotionally invigorating and especially touching story in the way it’s so open about vulnerability and hardship. Tangles is a singular animation creation that should connect with audiences all around the world.
Directed by Leah Nelson, and co-written by Leah Nelson & Trev Renney, Tangles tells the story of a young lesbian woman named Sarah. When Alzheimer’s begins to erase her mom’s vibrant personality, Sarah leaves her exciting life as an activist and artist in 90’s San Francisco to return to her eccentric family in the small town she fled. The film nicely balances both the story of her life as a queer woman and her relationship with her girlfriend Donimo, along with her family life and her experiences going home to help take care of her mom as the disease worsens. It’s a precarious balance but it works for the most part. With Abbi Jacobson as the voice of Sarah, an understated lead performance that builds over time; Julia Louis-Dreyfus as her mother Midge in the best performance of the whole film, Bryan Cranston as her father Rob, Seth Rogen, and Samira Wiley as Donimo. As much as this film is about how bad it gets when Alzheimer’s really takes over, it’s also about how much joy there is in a loving family. Even through hard times, there’s so much to learn and appreciate about life anyway. And that’s the most vital lesson Sarah learns. We are treated to the opportunity to watch this unfold and understand Sarah’s internal turmoil as she struggles with all of life’s challenges. This story is handled with such great care and grace, which is what makes it so moving to watch.
My only real complaint with Tangles is that there isn’t enough color in the film. While it is mainly a B&W animated feature, the filmmakers add dashes of color a few times for emphasis in a few key scenes. It’s not overused, and while I’m good with the movie being in black & white anyway, those splashes add even more depth to the visual storytelling. Alas, I was expecting more color splashes than what there is. After a certain point in the film, they seem to forget this concept and it never happens again. While not a distraction, it’s a choice that keeps me from giving this an even higher rating. The film still does have a few truly outstanding animation sequences that break out of the realism depicted and dip into surreal territory. They’re a major part of what makes it an animation sensation – and I would’ve been happy to see even more of these all-out animation moments added in. The film’s journey takes us right to an important finale in the story yet it still felt like it could’ve gone on and would never be boring. Being immersed within such impressive storytelling can be so captivating that you don’t want to stop spending time with these characters. And I’m glad I got to know Sarah and Midge and her entire family. Now her mom’s legacy will live on in cinema history forever…
Alex’s Cannes 2026 Rating: 8.5 out of 10
Follow Alex on Twitter – @firstshowing / Or Letterboxd – @firstshowing
