A Monster Calls. A modern fairy tale, which is scary in places, so may not suitable for a very young audience (may contain spoilers)
First film viewed in 2017, starring Lewis MacDougall as Conner the boy, Felicity Jones as the mother, Sigourney Weaver as the very strict grandmother, Toby Kebbell as the absent father and Liam Neeson as the voice of the Tree Monster.
Connor is a 12 year old, he needs to deal with several heavy emotional situations simultaneously. His mother is dying from cancer, he is being viciously bullied at school, his father lives in USA and has been absent for the majority of his life but makes a rare visit.
The Tree Monster is originally a creation from his mum's imagination. Towards the end of the film we see an old artist's pad where she had previously sketched the Monster and other fairy tale scenes.
The Monster visits Connor every night at precisely 12:07, the Monster wants to tell him three stories and hear one in return. The three stories are from his mum's imagination, represented by the fairy tale sketches she leaves. These stories help Connor deal with his feelings of anger, sadness and frustration.
Lewis MacDougall was particularly impressive, a standout child performer. I was pretty much immediately and totally invested in the character. Lewis carries the film throughout.
This film is a very emotional fantasy drama, and a real tear-jerker, especially towards the end where it deals with the death of a parent from a child's perspective and the leaving of a child from a parent's perspective.
Highly recommended.
8/10.
Connor is a 12 year old, he needs to deal with several heavy emotional situations simultaneously. His mother is dying from cancer, he is being viciously bullied at school, his father lives in USA and has been absent for the majority of his life but makes a rare visit.
The Tree Monster is originally a creation from his mum's imagination. Towards the end of the film we see an old artist's pad where she had previously sketched the Monster and other fairy tale scenes.
The Monster visits Connor every night at precisely 12:07, the Monster wants to tell him three stories and hear one in return. The three stories are from his mum's imagination, represented by the fairy tale sketches she leaves. These stories help Connor deal with his feelings of anger, sadness and frustration.
Lewis MacDougall was particularly impressive, a standout child performer. I was pretty much immediately and totally invested in the character. Lewis carries the film throughout.
This film is a very emotional fantasy drama, and a real tear-jerker, especially towards the end where it deals with the death of a parent from a child's perspective and the leaving of a child from a parent's perspective.
Highly recommended.
8/10.
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