A Monster Calls

Dir: Juan Antonio Bayona

2016

*****

Juan Antonio Bayona's A Monster Calls is a cinema experience like no other. Based on the novel written by Patrick Ness from an original idea by Siobhan Dowd, it is probably the only piece of 'Young Adult' literature that has really appealed to me (being a regular adult). It features a boy coming to terms with his Mother's terminal illness, and how he begins a friendship of sorts with a tree he sees outside of his window after asking it to help him cure his mother.  It may sound like a pretty fairytale but it is much darker than you may expect and all the better for it in my opinion. Siobhan Dowd came up with the idea and the characters after developing cancer herself but sadly she died before she could complete it.  Patrick Ness said of Dowd that "She had the characters, a premise and a beginning. What she didn't have was time". He went on to explain that "I wouldn't have taken it on if I didn't have complete freedom to go wherever I needed to go with it. If I'd felt hampered at all, again, even for very good reason, then that harms the story I think. I did this not for egomaniacal reasons, that my decisions were somehow automatically right or such nonsense, but because I know that this is what Siobhan would have done. She would have set it free, let it grow and change, and so I wasn't trying to guess what she might have written, I was merely following the same process she would have followed, which is a different thing. I always say it felt like a really private conversation between me and her, and that mostly it was me saying, "Just look what we're getting away with". It is a profound tale that explores perception for young people that aren't quite adults but aren't really children either. What really makes a monster and how can monster manifest themselves? It asks some extremely important questions without assuming it knows all the answers but points out the importance of thinking them through anyway, which is always half the battle. I'm utterly relieved that this beautiful story has been adapted so well and Juan Antonio Bayona was the perfect director for the job. It could have so easily been manhandled, overcooked and heavily reliant on preachy nonsense and unnecessarily pulled on heart-strings for emotional blackmail. It's a very sad film and I challenge even the coldest of hearts not to shed a tear but every single drop is earned and never taken maliciously. It is definitely an awards contender but that is far from its purpose. The direction is flawless and the attention to detail meticulous. The four stories within the story are beautifully animated and the CGI effects in the live-action part of the film are superb. I thought Liam Neeson was the perfect choice as the voice of the tree and young Lewis MacDougall was brilliant as young Connor, especially as this is only his second feature film and his first leading role. Felicity Jones was perfect once more in what was a difficult performance and Sigourney Weaver is superb in what was a surprise but brilliant bit of casting. The film is faultless. I can't think of any better way of mixing fantasy and real life in a way that will genuinely be of help to countless kids going through what young Connor does. There is no sugar-coating the truth here, no condescension or manipulation, it's a genuinely wonderful and original exploration of grief, adolescence and self-analysis. It's certainly not just for twelve year olds. A wonderful updated fairytale that will stay with you for some time after viewing. An absolute triumph and an utter masterpiece.