^{Credit: Decorado (GKIDS, Abano Producións)}

Director Alberto Vázquez (Birdboy: The Forgotten Children, Unicorn Wars) has compared his third feature, Decorado, to The Truman Show. It’s not an inaccurate description, although it might give away too much about the plot. In The Truman Show, the audience learns early on how the titular character’s world works. In Decorado, the reveal is apparently supposed to be a twist (I think?). Either way, it’s not hard for the viewer to piece together what’s going on from the opening scene, as the protagonist, Arnold, talks to his wife, Maria, about the state of their world, comparing it to scenery. Those who’ve seen Vázquez’s 2016 short of the same name will also know where this story is going.

While Decorado’s final destination feels predictable, the journey is anything but. The film includes a fairy who spreads depression, an arsonist chicken, a bedsheet ghost, a reverse mermaid, a devil who romances her on a harp, and a sentiment mushroom. That last one isn’t all that surprising, as at least one person involved in this production must’ve tried shrooms once, right? As surreal as Decorado’s world is, it resembles ours to an extent. For all of the bizarre imagery, our main character finds himself confined to a conformist society with an all-seeing corporation running the show.

Vázquez has a twisted, at times even demented sense of humor, but Decorado isn’t without subtle comedy. I couldn’t help but laugh as Arnold and Maria lovingly greet each other in the morning, only to reveal that they sleep in Lucy and Ricky beds. Despite being a mouse, Arnold is a surprisingly relatable lead, taking literal happy pills with happiness listed as the sole ingredient and filling his unemployed days by watching cartoons. It’s a little unclear how this world works, as one of Arnold’s cartoon idols also seemingly exists in the real world, now a washed-up has-been living in a dumpster. I guess that’s just one of the ways Decorado blurs the line between reality and insanity.

Although Arnold goes virtually everywhere wearing his bathroom, he isn’t without ambition. Arnold dreams of venturing beyond his town, but something seems to be containing him and everyone else there. In addition to Truman, Arnold calls to mind Larry Gopnik from A Serious Man. A Serious Mouse, if you will. Both are meek individuals looking for meaning in a world that makes little sense. Of course, the random mishaps that befall Arnold are more of the Ren & Stimpy variety. At least Arnold has a more affectionate wife than Larry. Arnold and Maria are a lot like Mickey and Minnie, although whatever childlike innocence they possess is slowly drained.

Decorado isn’t style over substance, as Vázquez evidently has a lot on his mind. Maybe he has too much going on up there, however. Like Vázquez’s past work, Decorado throws everything it has at the audience, both visually and thematically. It doesn’t always come together as a cohesive package, but maybe that’s what Vázquez was aiming for. While Decorado won’t resonate with everyone on a storytelling level, the film overflows with rich imagery that ranges from cute, to grotesque, to funny, to frightening. Given the film’s subject matter, perhaps it’s fitting that the scenery would steal the show.

Nick Spake is the Author of Bright & Shiny: A History of Animation at Award Shows Volumes 1, 2, and 3. Available Now!