MY ENTIRE HIGH SCHOOL SINKING INTO THE SEA

High school as a venue for emotional tsunamis and other adolescent disgruntlements is a classic part of US cinema. In the absurd animation adventure “My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea,” the celebrated graphic novelist Dash Shaw takes the existential conflict situation between schoolyard, cafeteria, and classroom even further, specifically to the point of life or death. This is not all that surprising, if we consider that due to an oversight on the part of the principle, the entire building breaks off from a cliff and drops into the ocean below. Dash (spoken by Jason Schwartzman) attempts to fight his way through with his friends to the roof of the school, while the teachers are hopelessly overwhelmed. Only Lunch Lady Lorraine (fantastic: Susan Sarandon) keeps a cool head and supports the kids fleeing from the torrents of water. “My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea” transposes the deceptively simple cartoon style of Shaw’s comics to the big screen, and what comes out is one of the most unusual and best animation films of recent years.