For me, one of the most fascinating things about history is trying to place yourself in the mindset of the people who lived through it. What might they have been thinking at the time? Did they believe their actions were justified – perhaps even benevolent? Those are exactly the kinds of questions that came to mind while watching Darwin’s Notebook by Georges Schwizgebel.The film is a dialogue-free “creative interpretation” of a real historical episode: three Tierra del Fuego natives who were taken from their homeland in 1829 and transported to London, where they were educated for several years in the values of Western civilization. Schwizgebel frames the story with opening and closing title cards, and while I’m not always a huge fan of relying on text in film, it’s hard to deny how effective it is here. In fact, the film contains only two sentences of written text, yet they carry a surprising amount of weight.Visually, the story unfolds through Schwizgebel’s trademark hand-drawn animation style, where images seem to morph and flow seamlessly from one moment to the next. That fluidity gives the film an almost observational quality, as though we’re quietly watching history unfold rather than being guided toward a specific interpretation. Interestingly, the director himself is quite open about the film’s underlying perspective, describing it as a “sad story about globalization and acculturation.” Despite the title referencing Charles Darwin, he plays only a minor role within the narrative, functioning more as a symbolic link to Western scientific and cultural influence than as the film’s central figure.If you’re new to Schwizgebel’s work and find yourself drawn in by Darwin’s Notebook, there’s a lot more to explore. His filmography stretches back to the 1970s and includes decades of short films that have shaped the language of animated storytelling. Now in his eighties, he represents a rare kind of filmmaker – someone who has remained committed to short-form animation for most of his career. That longevity, combined with the distinctive visual language he’s developed over time, makes him a quietly influential figure in the field of animation.