(Note: This film is not going to be widely released in
cinemas in the UK or USA until January 1st, but it was screened at
the London Film Festival earlier this week, and that is where I saw it. I’m
going to try and avoid giving too much away, but as this is a detailed review,
it contains a number of mild spoilers.If you want to avoid these, skip to the conclusion of this article.)
Who Made A Monster
Calls?
A Monster Calls is directed by J.A Bayona. The screenplay
was written by Patrick Ness, and based on his 2011 book of the same name. The
Source Material was based on an original idea by the author Siobhan Dowd, who
died of cancer in 2007.
What’s It About?
A Monster Calls tells the story of Conor (Played by Lewis
MacDougall), a troubled twelve year-old boy from Britain. His mother (Played by
Felicity Jones) is suffering from cancer, and her health is deteriorating
rapidly. He struggles to get on with his often domineering grandmother (Played
by Sigourney Weaver) and is harassed by bullies at school. One day, Conor is visited by a giant humanoid
Monster (Voiced by Liam Neeson) who emerges from a giant Yew tree in the middle
of a nearby cemetery. The Monster tells Conor that he will provide him with
three stories which may grant him the answers to his problems. In return, Conor
will have to tell the Monster a fourth tale about himself and his deepest fears.
My Review
(Note: Although A Monster Calls is based on a novel as
opposed to fairy tales or mythology, storytelling is a central theme, and a
couple of fairy-tale type stories play a prominent part in the narrative.
Therefore, I am publishing my review on this blog.)
I haven’t yet read Patrick Ness’ book, so my decision to see
A Monster Calls early was based on the trailers, which promised a powerful and
emotional movie. The film turned out to be every bit as moving as I hoped it
would be.
A Monster Calls is a relatively short film, lasting only 108
minutes, but felt longer. This is not an insult, but actually indicates how
ambitious the movie is. It tackles difficult subjects such as terminal illness
and the need to express emotions, and features a number of epic scenes
(especially those featuring the Monster, who was brought to life via motion
capture) which contrast with a simple, character-driven story. There are many impressive
moments, especially one involving a cemetery collapsing into the ground, which
stands out due to the impeccable cinematography and the intense soundtrack. Overall,
the increased scale of the epic scenes helps to make them even more powerful.
However, for all the epic moments, the best aspect of the
film is the way that it says so much in so few words. The opening scene
provides an indication of this, as it shows Conor preparing breakfast for
himself. Without any unnecessary dialogue, this scene foreshadows the extent to
which Conor’s mother has been rendered invalid by her disease. Later, in scenes
where Conor interacts with his father (Played by Toby Kebbel) who’s arrived to
visit from his home in LA, the pauses and facial gestures communicate the
distance between the two. In fact, the two best scenes in the movie are done
with very little dialogue. In the first of these scenes, Conor’s Grandmother returns
home to find out that Conor has destroyed her room in a fit of rage. In the
second scene, which I found especially moving, Conor finds his Grandmother
watching a video of his mother teaching him how to draw. Both scenes powerfully
convey the developing relationship between Conor and his grandmother, and show their
struggle to come to terms with the circumstances affecting them. There is no
dialogue because words aren’t needed to express the emotions which the
characters feel.
Although it’s not very violent and has little bad language,
A Monster Calls is rated 12A in the UK and PG-13 in America due to its often
distressing nature, and this is especially apparent when it depicts the effects
of Cancer. The physical effects of the disease are portrayed in some detail, as
Conor’s mother relies on a large amount of medication to sustain herself, and
loses her hair to time-consuming treatments which turn out to be ineffective.
However, A Monster Calls is more interested in the effect the disease has on her
family, particularly Conor and his Grandmother. That said, there are still a
few moments of levity, such as a scene where Conor’s mother tries on a wig
provided by his Grandmother. These humanise the characters and make their
experiences feel more realistic.
The actors all do a very good job. In the role of Conor,
relative newcomer Lewis MacDougall (Pan)
feels like a natural- it doesn’t take long to forget that he’s acting, and
whilst not flawless, he is often incredibly effective in a very demanding role.
As the Monster, Liam Neeson (Taken)
provides what is probably his best performance in ages, blending wisdom and
authority with an intimidating edge – there are even times when the Monster can
seem a bit sinister, which makes him even more interesting. Although many will
draw comparisons between the monster and Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy (another giant humanoid with a body made
from a tree), the Monster feels reasonably unique. Another strong performance
comes Sigourney Weaver (Alien), who
plays Conor’s Grandmother, probably the most complex character in the film. She
is very stern towards Conor at first, but as it becomes clear that she is also
struggling to cope with her daughter’s condition, a bond begins to form between
the two. Felicity Jones (The Theory of
Everything) plays Conor’s mother, and whilst the film is more focused on
her condition than her personality, her love of drawing and vintage films make
her feel like a realistic character, and Jones manages to portray her suffering
convincingly. It is also worth mentioning Toby Kebbel (War Horse), who does well with a rather small role.
Also of interest are segments where the Monster tells Conor
two of his stories. The first story, set in a medieval kingdom, concerns a
Prince whose Grandfather and wife die, seemingly at the hands of the kingdom’s
new Queen (the Grandfather’s second wife). The Second story, set in the 19th
century, depicts a parson whose hatred for an “apothecary” (Medicine man) has
disastrous consequences. The depictions of these tales blend watercolour
animation, CGI and the motion-capture used to bring the Monster to life as he
tells them. Whilst the animation and basic outlines of these stories evoke comparisons with all
manner of fairy tales, the two stories turn out to subvert the moral
certainties associated with the Fairy-tale genre, highlighting a very important
message; There are very few people who are purely good or purely bad – most of
us are somewhere in between.
If there is one weak point of the film, it is the subplot
depicting Conor’s struggles with bullies at school. The bullies are very flat
characters (especially compared to Conor and his family), and whilst the scenes
featuring them shed light on Conor’s isolation and increasing anger, the
resolution of this plot thread feels a little silly. However, compared to the
successful elements of the film, this is a pretty minor problem.
Conclusion
A Monster Calls is a powerful depiction of how we use
emotions and stories to cope with our deepest fears and problems. Whilst the
messages and characters it depicts are pretty familiar, the film’s honest and
moving portrayal of difficult issues allows it to stand out. The movie feels
genuine – you can tell that this story means a lot to the people involved in
bringing it to life, and this elevates it above more manipulative tearjerker
films. The acting is very strong, and the directing is excellent. Patrick Ness
also deserves praise for the script, which successfully transfers his writing
to the highly visual medium of film. Overall, this is a film I definitely
recommend seeing when it's finally released.
Once You’ve Seen
This Movie, See…
Big Fish – A 2003
film from director Tim Burton, Big Fish is another film about storytelling,
centred on a relationship between a parent suffering from Cancer and their
child. Although the parent in Big Fish is a father, it’s interesting to see how
the film tackles many of the same themes and issues as A Monster Calls.
Kubo and the Two
Strings –A Monster Calls is not the only movie of the past few months with
a child protagonist to discuss mortality and the value of storytelling. Kubo
and the Two Strings also has similar themes. It’s an excellent film, and
defiantly worth a watch.
Pan’s Labyrinth –
A fairy tale film for adults only, Pan’s Labyrinth is a lot darker and scarier
than A Monster Calls, as it depicts the brutality of life in 1940’s
Spain. However, like A Monster Calls, it depicts an adolescent using fantasy to cope with the unpalatable realities of their home life. It’s worth noting
that the producer of A Monster Calls, Belen Atienza, previously worked on Pan's Labyrinth.
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