Five Inspirations is a series in which we ask directors to share five things that shaped and informed their film.
Jocelyn Charles's God Is Shy (2025) is showing exclusively on MUBI in many countries.
INSPIRATION #1
My friends
Top left: Gabrielle Selnet. Top right: Adam Sillard. Bottom left: Arthur Sevestre. Bottom right: Zelie Durand.
My friends, my colleagues, and the artists I follow online are an immense source of inspiration for me. Through our shared discussions and perspectives on the world, we enrich each other. There is also a healthy kind of competition that naturally emerges when you see a friend create something beautiful; it makes you want to do even better. You want to impress them, in a way. Knowing that my friends see my work, and being nourished by what they themselves create, is my greatest source of inspiration—the first, without a doubt.
INSPIRATION #2
Akira Toriyama’s Dr. Slump (1980–1984)
My second inspiration is Akira Toriyama, the creator of Dragon Ball (1984–1995) and Dr. Slump. When I was a kid, I used to read Dragon Ball all the time with my brothers, and we would constantly practice drawing the manga covers. I was especially touched by the humor in Dr. Slump: the oversized heads, the exaggerated expressions. It is something that has stayed with me through my entire artistic career. I think it is very important to preserve humor everywhere. I struggle with works that are too serious, too literal.
INSPIRATION #3
The Wailing (Na Hong-jin, 2016)
My third inspiration is live action films. Even though I work in animation and drawing, I feed almost exclusively on live action films and photography. I think this is a fundamental source of inspiration when you draw, because in one way or another, it always comes back to reality, even if you fantasize it, transform it, or distort it. There is always a foundation of the real. I believe animation still has a lot to learn from live action cinema, whether in terms of dialogue writing, staging, or character development. Simply because animation takes so much time, you do not allow yourself to explore the superfluous or the mundane, you go straight to the essentials. For me, that can take away some authenticity from characters. That is why I like drawing inspiration from live action films.
INSPIRATION #4
Martin Parr’s “Argentina, Mar del Plata” (2014)
My fourth inspiration is Martin Parr. I love the humor present in all his photographs, the very bright, almost unreal colors, and the dense, highly detailed compositions. I think there is huge potential in his work for adaptation into illustration. He always finds the funniest characters, often dressed in strange ways. I really love his perspective.
INSPIRATION #5
Anomalisa (Charlie Kaufman & Duke Johnson, 2015)
Finally, my last inspiration would be toys and figurines. The model-like aspect has a very strong visual identity because it reflects a simplified version of reality, something funnier, more minimal. The aesthetic of figurines is often more cartoonish, with big faces and shiny highlights on the skin and clothing, as if everything were made of plastic, wood, or resin. I like how the toy aspect presents an offbeat and humorous version of the world. I think there is a lot of potential in the concept of toys and figurines to express something much more serious about the world.