A Monster Calls
Film
Review
by Kam Williams
Beleaguered
Boy Befriended by Tree in Bittersweet Escapist Fantasy
Conor
O'Malley (Lewis
MacDougall) is understandably miserable. First of all, the 12
year-old divorced mom (Felicity Jones) is terminally ill. Second,
they're both estranged from his father (Toby Kebbell) who has long
since started another family over in America.
Third,
Conor is tired of being mistreated by his cold-hearted grandmother
(Sigourney Weaver) who cares more about her prized possessions than
his welfare. And finally, he's routinely teased at school by a bully
(James Melville) about always being off in his own dream world.
So,
it's no surprise when Conor starts being plagued by nightmares on a
daily basis. A few minutes after midnight, the giant yew tree (Liam
Neeson) standing in the graveyard outside his bedroom window turns
into an intimidating, anthropomorphic monster.
Despite
its imposing presence, the beast gradually gains the kid's
confidence, agreeing to tell a trio of insightful allegories on the
condition that Conor reciprocate with one of his own. The idea,
ostensibly, is that there will be a meaningful lesson to be learned
from each of the parables.
That
is the point of departure of A Monster Calls, a bittersweet
escapist fantasy directed by J.A. Bayona (The Impossible). The movie
is based on the illustrated children's novel of the same name by
Patrick Ness who also adapted it to the big screen. Ness'
award-winning book was inspired by the late Siobhan Dowd, who passed
away before she could tackle the semi-autobiographical project
herself.
The
film is less a feel-good flick than a picture about making the best
of a bad situation. For, the monster's stories paint a sobering
picture of life that's anything but rosy. However, they do ultimately
enable Conor to own up about his deepest fear, when it's his turn to
share.
Given
the mature themes and the dire plot developments, it's hard to
recommend A Monster Calls for vulnerable youngsters. Nevertheless, it
is unique in its approach to preparing a tweener to processing an
impending tragedy.
A
visually-enchanting, if fateful, fairy tale.
Very Good (3
stars)
Rated PG-13
for mature themes and scary images
Running
time: 108 minutes
Distributor: Focus Features
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