Nina, an authentic Balinese doll and the love of his life, dances with majestic rhythm and grace with Zozo, a man who is fixated on a spring. Unfortunately for Zozo, he cannot move. But that doesn’t stop Nina from holding his hands and sharing a romantic dance with him.
In 1970, the clown was taken away from Zozo by fate. The girl who had been mesmerized by his dancing came to the park with her piggy bank and just like that, as the hammer fell down, she was taken away from him. All he could do was watch her go. Years go by and the park closes down, coming to its present state.
Zozo has spent all those years looking for his sister, Zozo. One day, the ceiling over him fell and he was freed. With some fine stitching work, he is able to sew legs for himself. Since that day, he has never stopped looking for her.
The journey brought him to Rosie, whom he fixed up and made his partner. Together, they traversed miles as they looked for Nina. When nothing comes to pass, Zozo slowly loses hope. Gradually, the love and warmth in his heart are replaced by a more sinister, vile force. We even see him kill a stuffed rhinoceros for “misleading” him toward Nina.
Zozo notices his change and rues the soul he has become. He leaves Rosie behind, refusing to drag her down with him. But she finds him back at Flossie’s, where Zozo hoped to find Nina. All Zozo can remember of Nina is her face and the sound of her jingle, which he hears once Ollie walks in. ..
Zozo has tied up Ollie and tortures him for answers. Rosie feigns her interest in torturing Ollie on Zozo’s behalf, knowing that he will never let the bunny go, even if he doesn’t get the answers he is looking for. He is overcome by the dark shadow of her absence that will not let go of him. She bemoans the lost soul Zozo has become and tells Ollie he was different when she first met him.
Rosie asks Ollie to remember the signpost they saw before they turned toward the park. Ollie remembers it as Billy’s school – the black spot on the map.
Jim realizes that Billy is not home and does not know where he has gone. A car pulls up to the park and races behind Billy. It is on a rainy day too, indicating it might be the same night. Zozo gives Ollie the chase when he discovers Rosie has let him go.
Rosie is not too far behind and fights Zozo. She is thrown off the Swan Car Ollie is escaping on; so is the bunny. That is how he ends up in the water – the very first scene in episode 1.
The Episode Review
This film is a marvel, a work of art in the purest, most heartfelt form. Using the shape and form of an unexpected vessel, Shannon Tindle has tied together a wholesome narrative that does so much with so little. This film is an astonishment, a work of art in the purest, most heartfelt form.
In Episode 3, we see a responsible backstory for Zozo, a character most of us had fallen out with after episode 2’s twist ending. And like the rest of the show, it is heartbreaking. William Joyce’s source material is so good, Tindle’s job is to just keep things simple and believe in its strength. She masterfully extracts the most touching parts from it and adds some of her own magic. ..
Netflix’s entire flashback from Zozo’s perspective and in Tim Blake Nelson’s grainy voiceover is some of the best cinema I have seen on Netflix. It begs us to ask: why can’t they do it on a more regular basis?
The finale of Lost Ollie’s story is coming together in a frightening way. We still do not know if Ollie and Billy will ever be reunited, but we know that they are close and now Lady Luck has to work her magic to make it happen. ..
