Medieval fiefdoms and dystopian surveillance states have never been known as bastions of civil liberties. So when someone had the bright idea to combine the two, it was only a matter of time before an innocent man got framed.
“Nimona” begins with an accolade ceremony that Chaucer could have written. Ballister Boldheart (Riz Ahmed) is the first solider in his kingdom’s history to achieve knighthood without having descended from noble blood. Everyone agrees that he earned the position through merit and hard work — especially his dreamy boyfriend Ambrosius Goldenloin (Eugene Lee Yang).
But this isn’t your grandfather’s feudal state — Nick Bruno and Troy Quane’s animated fantasy takes place in a world that splits the difference between “The Canterbury Tales” and “Tron.” Steel swords and suits of armor coexist alongside smartphones and flying cars, and the city-state is governed by medieval customs despite everyone having access to YouTube. One modern practice that hasn’t made its way inside the city walls? Laser safety protocols.
When Ballister kneels before the Queen to be knighted, a laser gun that was inexplicably planted on him goes off and kills her. Our hero goes from the toast of the kingdom to a criminal pariah before he even has time to realize what happened. And that’s just the prologue!
Left without a title or a boyfriend, Ballister can barely muster the motivation to clear his good name. That’s where Nimona (Chloë Grace Moretz) comes in. The rebellious pink shapeshifter — don’t you dare call her a monster — has been waiting her entire life for an adventure. When she hears that the kingdom’s golden boy has suffered a fall from grace, she suspects that he might need a sidekick to help him get his mojo back.
While Nimona usually takes the form of a pink-haired pre-teen girl who looks like she’s gonna be in for a treat when she discovers pop punk, she can turn herself into just about anything. Need a giant pink rhinoceros to bust you out of prison? She’s the girl you call. Does the situation call for a more nuanced impression of a real person? She can do that, too.
The two unlikely friends team up to prove Ballister’s innocence, but her burn-it-all-down ethos clashes with his institutionalist sensibilities. Even when evidence reveals who framed him, the knight won’t go public with it out of fear that it could hamper public trust in the government. He’s determined to rebuild his life by playing by the old rules, while she’s convinced that the only way to happiness is starting from scratch.
The fictional authoritarian government touches on a multitude of contemporary issues with varying skillfulness. (Homophobia doesn’t appear to be a major problem in this kingdom, but the regime’s treatment of shapeshifters stands in as a convenient allegory for it.) But no matter what arguments Ballister makes in favor of law and order, Nimona persuasively refutes him with her calls to look out for the little guy.
Ballister isn’t the only knight beginning to question the system. Ambrosius is still doing his duty as a loyal servant of the crown — which primarily consists of hunting down his former boyfriend and trying to throw him back in jail. But he just can’t wrap his mind around the idea that the gentle soul he fell in love with would kill a queen. As Nimona’s fieriness pushes the city’s guardrails to their breaking point, the two knights appear well-positioned to decide the fate of the monarchy.
“Nimona” unfolds in a storybook animation style that blends the ancient and futuristic influences into a singular story. The film is never afraid to follow its characters into dark places, eschewing convenient answers in favor of the bittersweet realities of life. And rather than force fans to read between the lines, the gay romance that forms its emotional core is given room to flourish in plain sight.
What could have been a generic piece of standard Netflix fare in less skillful hands ends up being a nuanced story of belonging that’s slightly less cliche-ridden than you might expect. Ballister’s romance with Ambrosius and his platonic friendship with Nimona unfold concurrently, but they build towards a single point: each individual soul is worth exploring, and no amount of law and order can justify giving that up.
Grade: B
“Nimona” is now streaming on Netflix.
