Diabolically funny: Wordless animated feature ‘Idiots and Angels’ screens at DFT

No dialogue is spoken in Idiots and Angels, a film animated in hand-drawn pencil. The environment created is mostly gray, with bits of color. The only human sounds are grunts and chortles. The soundtrack, which includes Tom Waits’ song “Flowers Grave,” more than makes up for the lack of language. It is an odd tale of a creep who seems to have a disdain for everyone and everything suddenly transformed into an angel. Yes, with wings.

The director is Bill Plympton, whose films include The Cow Who Wanted to Be a Hamburger — a title that should signal the type of twisted humor to expect here.

The film screens at the The Detroit Film Theatre Friday, April 1 at 7 p.m; Saturday, April 2 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, April 3 at 2 p.m. It also shows next weekend, April 8-10.

The DFT is inside the Detroit Institute of Arts, 5200 Woodward Ave., in Midtown Detroit’s Cultural Center. Access the DFT from the John R entrance. Purchase tickets here.