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Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart Poster

Title: Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart

Year: 2014

Director: Stéphane Berla

Writer: Mathias Malzieu

Cast: Mathias Malzieu (Jack (voice)), Olivia Ruiz (Miss Acacia (voice)), Grand Corps Malade (Joe (voice)), Jean Rochefort (Méliès (voice)), Emily Loizeau (Madeleine #2 (voice)),

Runtime: 94 min.

Synopsis: In Scotland 1874, Jack is born on the coldest day ever. Because of the extreme cold, his heart stops beating. The responsible midwife in Edinburgh finds a way to save him by replacing his heart with a clock. So he lives and remains under the midwife's protective care. But he must not get angry or excited because that endangers his life by causing his clock to stop working. Worse than that, when he grows up, he has to face the fact he cannot fall in love because that too could stop his delicate heart.

Rating: 7.205/10

A Ticking Heart in a Fragile Clockwork World

/10 Posted on August 1, 2025
In Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart (2014), directors Stéphane Berla and Mathias Malzieu craft a visually arresting animated fable that pulses with Gothic whimsy and melancholic charm. Adapted from Malzieu’s concept album and novel, the film follows Jack, a boy born in 19th-century Edinburgh with a frozen heart replaced by a cuckoo clock. This mechanical metaphor drives the narrative, exploring love’s fragility and the tension between destiny and free will. The film’s greatest triumph is its aesthetic: a steampunk-inspired palette of frosty blues and burnished golds, paired with painterly backdrops that evoke Tim Burton’s somber playfulness. The animation, while not as fluid as major studio productions, compensates with inventive character designs Jack’s angular frame and wide eyes mirror his emotional vulnerability, while Miss Acacia’s fiery elegance radiates through her every gesture.

Malzieu’s score, performed by his band Dionysos, is the film’s heartbeat. The music weaves French chanson with rock-infused whimsy, amplifying the emotional stakes without overpowering the delicate story. Songs like “Flamme à Lunettes” linger, their lyrics doubling as poetic commentary on Jack’s longing and restraint. However, the screenplay falters in pacing and depth. The romance between Jack and Miss Acacia, while tender, feels rushed, leaning on visual splendor over character development. Their chemistry lacks the nuance to fully anchor the fantastical premise, leaving some emotional beats underdeveloped. Secondary characters, like the menacing Joe, are intriguing but underexplored, their motivations reduced to archetypes.

Berla’s direction shines in quiet moments Jack’s tentative steps on an icy Edinburgh street or his dreamlike train journey to Andalusia where the film’s themes of time and mortality resonate. Yet, the narrative occasionally stumbles under its own ambition, juggling too many subplots without resolution. The voice acting (in the French version, particularly Mathias Malzieu as Jack) adds sincerity, though the English dub feels stilted, diluting emotional impact. Cinematographically, the film’s use of shadow and light creates a haunting intimacy, but tighter editing could have sharpened its 94-minute runtime.

Ultimately, Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart is a bold, imperfect poem of a film. It dares to embrace its quirks, offering a visually and musically rich meditation on love’s ticking constraints. While it doesn’t always balance its ambitions, its heart fragile yet earnest keeps ticking, inviting viewers to cherish its unique rhythm.
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