Review: A Monster Calls (2016)

A Monster Calls

Rating

Director

J.A. Bayona

Screenplay

Patrick Ness

Length

108 min.

Starring

Lewis MacDougall, Felicity Jones, Sigourney Weaver, Toby Kebbell, James Melville, Ben Moor, Liam Neeson

MPAA Rating

PG-13 for thematic content and some scary images

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Review

Hollywood has long been fascinated with exploring the coping mechanisms children use to deal with grief. A Monster Calls tackles that topic as well and explores it in a way that’s both familiar and comforting.

Lewis MacDougall gives life to Conor, a young boy who must come to terms with his mother’s (Felicity Jones) cancer diagnosis and treatment. While he hopes for her eventual recovery, deep down he knows that it may never happen. As she slowly deteriorates, the large tree that sits in the small churchyard cemetery near his home comes to life and forces him to listen to various stories that force him to question the tropes of fantasy adventures and the unrealistic expectations that come with them. The two become companions as the film progresses enabling Conor to embrace his anger and frustrations, allowing him to lash out in the real world.

Will Conor be able to regain control or will grief consume him. His grandmother, played by Sigourney Weaver, struggles with her own emotional baggage as she watches her daughter deteriorate, but her reserved approach and seemingly detached relationship with Conor exacerbate the situation. With his father (Toby Kebbell) out of the picture, Conor feels increasingly isolated, unable to handle what’s going on while hoping beyond hope that she will recover.

Based on his own novel, screenwriter Patrick Ness has concocted an astute emotional construct that explores the unfathomable depths of despair that a child feels as their parent deals with physical ailments beyond their control. The story unravels at its own pace, building organically towards a conclusion that may be expected, but is nevertheless emotionally rich. It is filled with complex emotional and psychological commentary, giving the audience a cathartic experience.

The film’s success, though, is entirely reliant on director J.A. Bayona’s skill. Marking his third directorial Feature, A Monster Calls explores the dazzling visuals and creativity that Bayona often evokes. With The Orphanage, Bayona delivered a mesmerizing ghost story that is both imaginative and visually daring. His follow up, The Impossible, was more akin to A Monster Calls, but was no less spectacular. That film followed a boy and his mother as they struggled through a natural disaster to find the rest of their family. That emotional connection between parent and child felt as natural as the one on display in this film.

Providing the voice for the yew monster, Liam Neeson anchors the film. His deep voice is filled with wisdom and strength, enabling the audience to see him as a wizened counselor. MacDougall is excellent as the boy and Jones delivers a career-topping performance as the mother. Kebbell is solid as the absent father while Weaver delivers a dependably solid performance.

The visual effects of the tree aren’t perfect, but considering the creature’s origins, it is a perfectly reasonable evocation. Where the film dazzles most is two sequences where the monster tells Conor a fanciful story about a far away kingdom. The sketch drawings that make up these animated sequences are gorgeously detailed and, had they been employed in a fully animated feature, would have been a strong competitor in the Best Animated Feature race at the Oscars.

Bayona’s film is a visual and technical marvel, evoking the creative environments on display in his prior efforts. His ability to draw emotion from the audience without depending on hokey or cheap theatrics is a rarity in the film industry. A Monster Calls draws the viewer in and guides them through the complex process of grief, extracting copious tears in the process, but leaving the audience more hopeful and satisfied as a result.