Year: 2016
Director: J.A. Bayona
Starring: Lewis MacDougall, Felicity Jones, Sigourney Weaver, Toby Kebbell, and Liam Neeson
Tagline: Stories are wild creatures.
Synopsis: A tree monster visits young Connor to help him cope with his mother's terminal illness.
Tagline: Stories are wild creatures.
Synopsis: A tree monster visits young Connor to help him cope with his mother's terminal illness.
Review
A Monster Calls is an interesting film in that it deals with very real, very human problems, but it does so with an element of the fantastical. The titular monster comes to Connor one night and explains that he's going to tell him three stories on different days. After he has told the third story, it will then be Connor's turn. He must tell the monster a story, the story of his recurring nightmare. As the monster terms it, Connor must tell the monster his "truth."
When not being told stories by a tree monster, Connor must continue going about his normal life. This includes distracting himself with drawing late into the night, being bullied at school, arguing with his strict grandmother, seeing his partly estranged father, and watching as treatment after treatment fails to heal his mum. Over and over he tries to tell others he's "fine" only to have things unravel more and more. Connor is scared, angry, and in pain. And odd as it may seem, he needs a monster to help him through it.
The visuals in A Monster Calls are stunning. It was amazing to watch the monster first come to life. Even more beautiful are the first two stories the monster tells. As he narrates, the stories are brought to life through animation that is stylized to look like watercolor paintings. They are mesmerizing to watch. [The closest comparison I can come up with is "The Tale of the Three Brothers" from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.] The tales themselves are also interesting. They play out not as one would expect. "Humans are messy creatures," the monster observes as he tries to teach Connor a few lessons.
As much as I enjoyed the film, it did have a few flaws. The scenes with the bullies felt a bit overemphasized. Nor did they quite convey what I believe they were supposed to: that Connor is almost seeking out their abuse as a way for him to deal with his own anger and pain.
Another weak spot was Sigourney Weaver. For most of the film she seemed not quite the right fit for her role. That said, she did an excellent job during the scenes where her own grief surfaces.
For their parts, Felicity Jones was perfect as the ailing young mum and Lewis MacDougall was completely believable in the wide range of emotions he was called to convey. The two of them really grounded the film. Liam Neeson was also perfect as the voice of the monster. [I'm reminded of his work as Aslan in the Chronicles of Narnia films.]
A Monster Calls is rated PG-13 for some scary images and mature themes. While it has fantastical elements, it's not a fantasy for kiddos. What it is is a beautiful, honest look at the messiness and healing that can be found through the grieving process. It's a film that reminds there is power in stories and there is power in the honest truth, no matter how painful.
*** Spoiler Section ***
As Connor is looking through old pictures of his mum, there is one of her as a girl with her father (who apparently passed away at some point before Connor's birth). The father is portrayed by Liam Neeson. Is the monster her father, come to help his grandson heal? Later, as Connor looks through his mum's book of watercolors, he finds pictures from the monster's stories and a final picture of the monster himself. Perhaps the stories were ones her father told her before his death. Or perhaps the monster came to help her through her own grief at her father's death. I love that it is left unexplained.
The last third (or so) of the movie is the most powerful and poignant. Though he would almost rather die than tell his secret -- his truth -- Connor does finally tell the monster of his nightmare. In doing so, he admits the truth he is ashamed of: that he wants it to be over. He is ashamed of that truth. He hates himself for that truth. Because he knows the only "over" is his mum's death.
The monster wisely points out that what Connor wants -- what he really wants -- is for his pain to be over. He points out the dichotomy of pain and grief: we want it to end while not wanting it to end because of what it means. It's a powerful and difficult truth, and one that applies to more than the death of a loved one. But it is only in finally facing that truth -- those fears, that pain -- that Connor can begin to heal. Thus he is ready (as ready as a breaking heart can ever be) to tell his dying mother "I don't want you to go" while also being able to let her go.
Grief is hard. It is messy. A Monster Calls does an excellent job portraying that.
[As a side note, earlier in the week I saw Rogue One again. That's two films in one week where Felicity Jones' character dies.]
When not being told stories by a tree monster, Connor must continue going about his normal life. This includes distracting himself with drawing late into the night, being bullied at school, arguing with his strict grandmother, seeing his partly estranged father, and watching as treatment after treatment fails to heal his mum. Over and over he tries to tell others he's "fine" only to have things unravel more and more. Connor is scared, angry, and in pain. And odd as it may seem, he needs a monster to help him through it.
The visuals in A Monster Calls are stunning. It was amazing to watch the monster first come to life. Even more beautiful are the first two stories the monster tells. As he narrates, the stories are brought to life through animation that is stylized to look like watercolor paintings. They are mesmerizing to watch. [The closest comparison I can come up with is "The Tale of the Three Brothers" from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.] The tales themselves are also interesting. They play out not as one would expect. "Humans are messy creatures," the monster observes as he tries to teach Connor a few lessons.
As much as I enjoyed the film, it did have a few flaws. The scenes with the bullies felt a bit overemphasized. Nor did they quite convey what I believe they were supposed to: that Connor is almost seeking out their abuse as a way for him to deal with his own anger and pain.
Another weak spot was Sigourney Weaver. For most of the film she seemed not quite the right fit for her role. That said, she did an excellent job during the scenes where her own grief surfaces.
For their parts, Felicity Jones was perfect as the ailing young mum and Lewis MacDougall was completely believable in the wide range of emotions he was called to convey. The two of them really grounded the film. Liam Neeson was also perfect as the voice of the monster. [I'm reminded of his work as Aslan in the Chronicles of Narnia films.]
A Monster Calls is rated PG-13 for some scary images and mature themes. While it has fantastical elements, it's not a fantasy for kiddos. What it is is a beautiful, honest look at the messiness and healing that can be found through the grieving process. It's a film that reminds there is power in stories and there is power in the honest truth, no matter how painful.
*** Spoiler Section ***
As Connor is looking through old pictures of his mum, there is one of her as a girl with her father (who apparently passed away at some point before Connor's birth). The father is portrayed by Liam Neeson. Is the monster her father, come to help his grandson heal? Later, as Connor looks through his mum's book of watercolors, he finds pictures from the monster's stories and a final picture of the monster himself. Perhaps the stories were ones her father told her before his death. Or perhaps the monster came to help her through her own grief at her father's death. I love that it is left unexplained.
The last third (or so) of the movie is the most powerful and poignant. Though he would almost rather die than tell his secret -- his truth -- Connor does finally tell the monster of his nightmare. In doing so, he admits the truth he is ashamed of: that he wants it to be over. He is ashamed of that truth. He hates himself for that truth. Because he knows the only "over" is his mum's death.
The monster wisely points out that what Connor wants -- what he really wants -- is for his pain to be over. He points out the dichotomy of pain and grief: we want it to end while not wanting it to end because of what it means. It's a powerful and difficult truth, and one that applies to more than the death of a loved one. But it is only in finally facing that truth -- those fears, that pain -- that Connor can begin to heal. Thus he is ready (as ready as a breaking heart can ever be) to tell his dying mother "I don't want you to go" while also being able to let her go.
Grief is hard. It is messy. A Monster Calls does an excellent job portraying that.
[As a side note, earlier in the week I saw Rogue One again. That's two films in one week where Felicity Jones' character dies.]
Quotable Quotes
- "Sometimes there's just messily ever after." -- Dad
- "What should I destroy next? It is most satisfying." -- The Monster
- "It will be hard, very hard. But you will get through it." -- The Monster
- "I want it to be over!" -- Connor
- "It starts with a boy: too old to be a kid, not old enough to be a man." -- The Monster
ISFS
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