Annecy Favorite ‘Tangles’ Weaves Together Love and Loss

Tangles is Leah Nelson’s animated feature adaptation of Sarah Leavitt’s graphic memoir, following Sarah as she returns to her family after her mother is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Its U.S. th

*Tangles* is Leah Nelson’s animated feature debut, based on Sarah Leavitt’s graphic memoir *Tangles: A Story About Alzheimer’s, My Mother and Me*. In 1990s San Francisco, Sarah is building a loving, independent life when her mother Midge’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis brings her back to her family in her hometown. Julia Louis-Dreyfus voices Midge, while Abbi Jacobson voices Sarah. The film premiered at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival and will begin its U.S. theatrical release on November 27.

How Caregiving Changes Family Roles

Sarah moves between the need to provide care and her own life within a family that struggles to accept the disease’s progression. Her father Rob’s anger and denial are also portrayed not as indifference, but as part of the fear of losing someone he loves. Rather than reducing Alzheimer’s to one character’s medical history, the film follows how the diagnosis changes a family’s conversations and division of responsibilities.

Emotion Seeping into Black-and-White Line Art

Continuing the original’s spare line art, the film is largely rendered as black-and-white 2D animation. Color is not used throughout, appearing only in moments when Sarah’s emotions overflow. The decision to place awkward jokes and the commotion of everyday life alongside the heavy subjects of family conflict and memory loss is another important texture of the work.

Brian Cranston, Seth Rogen, Beanie Feldstein, Samira Wiley, Sarah Silverman, and Pamela Adlon are also among the voice cast. At 102 minutes, the film translates into hand-drawn animation the time not only of the person living with the disease, but also of the family members who must maintain everyday life by their side.