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A Monster Calls (2016)
Very moving film about a young boy, Conor (excellently played by the now-14-year-old Lewis MacDougall) who is dealing with the fact that his mother is gravely ill. And by "dealing with," I mean not in a good way. He is bitter, angry, destructive...all kinds of negative things a person might naturally be when someone they love has cancer and is withering away before their very eyes. Felicity Jones plays his ill Mom, simply billed as "Mum," and she does a fine job portraying a person dealing with terminal illness in the most positive way she can, all for the benefit of her distraught son. Taking care of Mum at their house is Conor's Grandmother, simply (again) billed as Grandma, played mostly silently by Sigourney Weaver, who shows her emotions through her great facial expressions and mournful eyes. She has to deal with Conor's anger in addition to her daughter's illness. Conor is bullied at school by a trio of punks who dress well in the uniform of the school. Conor brings it on by staring at the leader daily, almost daring him to thrash him. Conor is also angry at his mostly absentee father, who, divorced from Mum, has found a new life and a new family in the U.S. This is Conor's world and he's not dealing with it very well. Who can blame him?
Into the rocky chaos of his life comes The Monster (superbly voiced by Liam Neeson), who lives in the guise of a Yew tree that rests in the near distance atop a hill by the local cemetery and church. Conor can see it from his bedroom window and is not fazed when this walking tree-like creature rips itself from the disguise of the Yew and comes for Conor. The Monster tells Conor that the boy has called him so he has come and he has three tales to impart to Conor, after which Conor is supposed to tell The Monster "his story." The three tales, given out over several nights, are all excellently animated and impart lessons that Conor at first doesn't understand. But The Monster is there to help him understand.
To tell more would be unfair, but safe to say that this is a truly touching, sometimes heart-rending movie, yet intelligent and filled with hope and wonder by its denouement. The Monster is really cool-looking and done with care by excellent motion-capture and CGI artists. A fine film that can be enjoyed by adults and children alike although the kids might want to be forewarned about the illness plot line. Still, I'll bet they'll be entranced by The Monster, as I was. But the champion of the film for me is Lewis MacDougall as Conor. I hope to see him in more films in the future.
Very moving film about a young boy, Conor (excellently played by the now-14-year-old Lewis MacDougall) who is dealing with the fact that his mother is gravely ill. And by "dealing with," I mean not in a good way. He is bitter, angry, destructive...all kinds of negative things a person might naturally be when someone they love has cancer and is withering away before their very eyes. Felicity Jones plays his ill Mom, simply billed as "Mum," and she does a fine job portraying a person dealing with terminal illness in the most positive way she can, all for the benefit of her distraught son. Taking care of Mum at their house is Conor's Grandmother, simply (again) billed as Grandma, played mostly silently by Sigourney Weaver, who shows her emotions through her great facial expressions and mournful eyes. She has to deal with Conor's anger in addition to her daughter's illness. Conor is bullied at school by a trio of punks who dress well in the uniform of the school. Conor brings it on by staring at the leader daily, almost daring him to thrash him. Conor is also angry at his mostly absentee father, who, divorced from Mum, has found a new life and a new family in the U.S. This is Conor's world and he's not dealing with it very well. Who can blame him?
Into the rocky chaos of his life comes The Monster (superbly voiced by Liam Neeson), who lives in the guise of a Yew tree that rests in the near distance atop a hill by the local cemetery and church. Conor can see it from his bedroom window and is not fazed when this walking tree-like creature rips itself from the disguise of the Yew and comes for Conor. The Monster tells Conor that the boy has called him so he has come and he has three tales to impart to Conor, after which Conor is supposed to tell The Monster "his story." The three tales, given out over several nights, are all excellently animated and impart lessons that Conor at first doesn't understand. But The Monster is there to help him understand.
To tell more would be unfair, but safe to say that this is a truly touching, sometimes heart-rending movie, yet intelligent and filled with hope and wonder by its denouement. The Monster is really cool-looking and done with care by excellent motion-capture and CGI artists. A fine film that can be enjoyed by adults and children alike although the kids might want to be forewarned about the illness plot line. Still, I'll bet they'll be entranced by The Monster, as I was. But the champion of the film for me is Lewis MacDougall as Conor. I hope to see him in more films in the future.