Monster Calls, A (2016)
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Review #1,355 |
THE SCOOP
Director: J.A. Bayona
Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Felicity Jones, Lewis MacDougall, Toby Kebbell
Plot: A boy seeks the help of a tree monster to cope with his single mom's terminal illness.
Genre: Drama / Fantasy
Awards: -
Runtime: 108min
Rating: PG for thematic content and some scary images
International Sales: Lionsgate
Singapore Distributor: Cathay-Keris Films
IN RETROSPECT (Spoilers: NO)
J.A. Bayona is a fantastic director, and in his
third feature, A Monster Calls, he has
made what I think is his best film yet. The
successes of his breakout horror hit The Orphanage (2007), and his follow-up, The Impossible (2012), the tsunami disaster drama with Naomi Watts, have proven
that he is no one-trick pony, and with his latest, he has also proven to be
incredibly adept and versatile in handling tone and visual storytelling,
playing with and subverting genre conventions, while at the same time drawing
affect in normally outlandish scenarios.
It is difficult to pigeonhole A Monster Calls into any genre, but what
is certain is that it has a lot of warmth and heart. It is a loose cross between Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) and The Iron Giant (1999), but because of
its imagination and vision, Bayona's film stands on its own as a remarkable, if
somewhat under-the-radar offering that should be regarded as one of the year’s
most emotionally satisfying works.
A boy, tortured and bullied at school, lives
with his sick mother diagnosed with a terminal illness. Whenever the clock strikes 12:07, his
imagination would bring him up close and personal with a seemingly menacing
Ent-like talking tree, who would tell him harsh stories of injustice and
personal loss.
In the hands of Bayona, Patrick Ness’
screenplay (based on his novel of the same name) is given the most beautiful of
treatments. The director’s sense of
visuals and how composition and camera movements can elevate the narrative are
put to the fore. The film also intercuts
live-action with animation, and the seamless incorporation of the CG-talking
tree (voiced by Liam Neeson) into the eclectic visual style make A Monster Calls a very arresting
picture.
But what triumphs all is the whirlwind of
emotions that are handled with great sensitivity. It is a sad film, but an infinitely
life-affirming one as well. A dying mother’s
enduring love for her kid is all-powerful, but it is the kid who needs to heal
by letting go. Bayona's visual approach
to capturing such ideas is both refreshing and reassuring.
A Monster
Calls stars
such accomplished actresses as Felicity Jones (who plays the boy's mother) and
Sigourney Weaver (his grandmother), but the perfect casting of newcomer Lewis
MacDougall as Conor gives us a splendid performance and character who embodies Man's
infantile fear of acknowledging a loved one's mortality, but also the courage to
believe in a shared and intimate immortality marked by an intertwining web of
memories and imagination.
Verdict: One
of the most emotional screen experiences you will find this year, J.A. Bayona’s
imaginative third feature is an assured and affirming tale of love and letting
go.
GRADE: A-
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