This is not the first time we have seen a child escaping from reality to a fantasy world. A Monster Calls is not much different from films like Where the Wild Things Are or Pan's Labyrinth. But this film does not present the story with a sense of wonder or atmosphere of horror while still grounded with sentimentalitasnya, but through melodrama that for me too pretensius, a factor that makes me difficult to reach emotional weight.
The film tells the story of a boy named Conor (Lewis MacDougall, a remarkable newcomer) and his imaginary friend, The Monster; well, we do not know for sure whether the monster in question is just imagination or it really exists. This film never expose it plainly. The film almost completely takes Conor's point of view. And for Conor, this monster is coexisted with his life in the real world. He believes, so should we.
The monster is created through CGI technology with a convincing special effect. The look is detailed and quite scary. It is a giant tree with roots and branches that form the feet and hands and have eyes that can light up at any time. Exactly using a slightly-threatening-yet-warm-hearted Liam Neeson bass to revive his character. This monster is not hug-able, because his presence is not to be embraced or to calm Conor.
Conor actually really needs that. His mother (Felicity Jones, for the size of a nearly one-dimensional character, his subtile acting commendable) suffers from severe pain and has to undergo intensive treatment. Meanwhile, his father (Toby Kebbell) has been living with a new family. At school, Conor became bully's. He has no one else, besides his grandmother (Sigourney Weaver) who is too set (typical of grandmothers). The last thing he wanted was a giant tree that banged on his window with no other purpose-to tell 3 stories every night. Or maybe this is what he needs?
This monster is not exactly Conor's friend. Their relationship is far from familiar. Just like us, Conor also questioned the importance of these 3 stories to his mother. The monster who always comes at 12:07 is actually forced him to hear, and in return, Conor will later tell the fourth story. The content and meaning of the story is basically cliche fairytale with a twist of this, please find yourself. While real-world narratives are caught with a bleak color palette by cinematographer Oscar Faura, three stories from the giants are depicted with a combined animation of stop-motion and watercolors with the help of animated director Adrian Garcia. However, both tones are clicking and the visualization is equally awesome.
The plot is relatively simple but presented with ambiguity filled with allegory and metaphor that may frown some casual movie lovers. The first half seemed unfocused, intended to describe Conor's situation, including the appearance of a glimpse of Kebbell that I had not seen for a long time playing as a good man. The moment touched, but felt not unified with the film as a whole. The film seems to have only two purposes: (1) presents an impressive visual, (2) shoots audiences with powerful endings. The latter, obtained not because of culmination but because of the very strong acting of MacDougall and Jones and the exact framing of the director J.A. Bayona.
A Monster Calls may be seen as a personal project from Bayona before directing the Jurassic World sequel later, but the movie has an ambitious vision. Wrapped in a fantasy story, the film has a heavy (and depressive) theme of the reality of life and maturity. Bayona is like combining two powerful elements of her two films ago: the gothic atmosphere of The Orphanage and the emotional drama of The Impossible. Unlike the last movie, the manipulation of A Monster Calls is often lengthened to extort tears. Conor's life does not resonate with me, so personally, the movie feels empty. An elegant film with unreal characterization.
I am quite curious about the target audience. His novel written by Patrick Ness (who also acts as a screenwriter) is categorized as a children's book. The moral message of this movie is more suitable for children, but they will not understand fully. What is more likely is the former children who have already passed a tragedy like Conor. Things that have passed sometimes become a sentimental memory that makes the throat tight.