The Global Search for Education: Director Nicolas Bianco-Levrin on Moon Girl and Following Your True Love

Posted By C. M. Rubin on Feb 13, 2021

This month on the Planet Classroom Network Channel, audiences can screen Moon Girl, curated by KIDS FIRST! Film Festival.

Can a French cockroach find true love? In this heartfelt and adorable cartoon film, Moon Girl, directed by Nicolas Bianco-Levrin and Julie Rembauville, a tiny insect dreams of reaching the moon in the sky (his Moon Girl) to feel her kiss and bask in her essence. He wakes up with Moon Girl on his mind, using the radiating satellite as his guiding force throughout the night. The film explores the cycle of courtship between these two unlikely lovers, as the roach tirelessly attempts to reach the seemingly unattainable moon. Donning a red bowtie and his most beautiful shoes, the roach leaves his matchbox home in a Parisian basement and sets off on this romantic journey, dodging the swat of a cat and the glue of a spider web along the way – all in the name of romance. “In the end, it doesn’t matter whether or not he reaches the moon,” says Director Nicolas Bianco-Levrin. “What matters is the strength of his love.”

While no words are spoken, none are needed to keep the audience compelled with what a lone roach and the illuminating moon have to offer. The snazzy jazz playing throughout the film keeps the audience captivated while relying on real-life photography and hand-drawn visuals to tell the story. “There are a few movies that have used the mix between reality and animation, like Roger Rabbit or Mary Poppins,” notes Bianco-Levrin. “In Moon Girl, the idea was to take the real for the background – which always seems darker and harder than the imaginary – and include the imaginary within it. The insect appears elegant and transforms this reality.”

While a roach might not be everyone’s first choice of a protagonist, humanizing one and taking us through his quest to capture the heart of the moon (another unusual pick) allows room for viewers to open their hearts to the idea that love is not an experience limited to a specific creature, but rather something that binds us and brings us closer together.

Moon Girl is an inspiring short film and it’s main takeaways will be different for each of us. “Just like this little bug, I hope that each person will continue to pursue their dreams, even if they seem unattainable or impossible,” says Bianco-Levrin.