The French animated feature The Painting (Le tableau) is currently playing in the bay area, it can be seen at Shattuck Cinemas in Berkeley and Opera Plaza Cinemas in San Francisco. Seek it out because it is one of the most original animated films I’ve seen in years. This allegory about classes of people defined by their level of completion and a search for their creator is beautifully animated, though a bit light on plot and conflict. I saw it in a dubbed version where the vocal performances seemed somewhat lacking, the French version is also playing, and that may be superior. Even with those failings it is still very worthwhile, we must support those international efforts, so films like this and Triplets of Belleville, Chico and Rita, Cat of Paris and Secret of the Kells will continue to find an audience here.