Spoiler-free movie review: "Mary and Max"

[brendala]

A few days ago I was browsing the Netflix streaming service on my Wii and I came across this claymation movie with a really unusual and unique premise:
Mary is an 8-year-old "ugly duckling" living in the boondocks of Australia. She's desperately lonely because she has neglectful parents, no siblings, and no friends at school. One day she finds a New York address book at her local post office, randomly picks a name from it, and starts writing to that person in the hopes that she can at least have a pen-pal. That person turns out to be Max Horovits; a middle-aged man with Asperger's Syndrome. Turns out he's in the same boat as her; he also desperately wants to have a real friend, but he doesn't know how to make that happen. So he writes back to her. They start off discussing simple things like their mutual love of chocolate and a cartoon called "The Nobblets". And their letters begin to tackle more complex issues once they get to know each other better and little Mary grows older.


REVIEW:
I have NEVER seen a movie like this before (animated or otherwise). This movie is just amazing. Everything about it was just brilliant. The animation, the design, the way color is used. It all blew me away. And this story is one of those rare beasts that can juggle comedy, drama, tragedy, and a message without fumbling. 

If you have Netflix, I HIGHLY reccommend streaming this on your computer/Wii/PS3/Whatever next time you have an hour and a half to spare. You won't regret it. My only warning is that, while this may look like a kiddie movie, I personally wouldn't show it to anyone under 13. Nothing graphic is shown; but the movie has a few scenes where things like sex, alcoholism, and suicide are discussed and/or alluded to.

I wish I could gush about this some more. But revealing anything else would spoil the story and this movie is much better if you go into it blind. However, if you've seen it or end up watching it because of my review, feel free to discuss spoilers in the comments below. ~_^

Comments

[myndcryme.livejournal.com]

Watched it this morning. What a stunningly beautiful work of art.

Thank you so much for the suggestion.

- V -

[brendala.livejournal.com]

You're welcome.

When I watched it, I was torn on weather I hated or loved the ending. But I think that feeling is exactly what the producers of this film were going for.

[secondlina.livejournal.com]

I saw this movie too (I got interested in it when I saw the commercial on my "Secret of Kells" dvd). It's so full of awkward cuteness...

[ichiban-victory.livejournal.com]

This is one of the reasons I miss having Netflix. I was able to see a lot of foreign films I'd not see otherwise, since I hadn't heard of them. Not sure if I'll ever pick up the service again, but if so, I'll be sure to track this down!