It is a clay-animated film about two strangers who meet through letters: Mary and Max.
Mary is an eight-year-old girl who lives in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. Max is a forty-four- year old man who lives in New York city. As their friendship thrives through their correspondence we learn about their lives, loneliness, questions and views with a touch of absurdity and a sense of humor. This interesting movie exposes different issues:
-Bullying
-Alcoholism
-Racism
-Conflicting relationships
-Mental disorders
-The challenges of being different
-The challenges of being oneself, and so much more.
I think it goes a long way in showing that no matter what country you live in, how old you are or what your gender is, there are similar problems that can connect us. In this case, two strangers became friends through affection, acceptance and understanding.
At some point,their friendship crumbles due to disappointment and a sense of betrayal. I appreciated the realistic side of it: who doesn't get upset with a friend? But the anger and sadness are followed by acceptance and forgiveness. Friends don't need to be perfect human beings to stay friends.
I enjoyed everything about it: the music, the clay-animated characters, the scenes, the themes.
The unexpected end of the story brought not just tears to my eyes but also the surprise that a clay-animated movie was able to connect so deeply with one's human emotions and sensitivity.
That sounds like a good movie, Julia. I'll have to watch out for it. The creators of these movies are very clever, being able to connect emotionally with bits of clay. I found a Korean animation last year about, well, lets say "something that was left behind by a dog" and what happened when it was rained on. My daughter cried her eyes out!
ReplyDeleteInteresting. I should read more about that one. Yes, you are right. And it's not just the clay-animation but also the amazing sceneries. It's very beautiful. Their creativity is inspiring.
ReplyDeleteSounds like even we can all learn something from this movie. Many of us have a lot to learn about acceptance.
ReplyDeleteYes, I totally agree with you! Accepting and embracing our differences is a loving wise healthy attitude, and diversity makes the world more interesting. I also want to say that characterization is very well done. I fell in love with the main characters. They were endearing.
ReplyDeleteJulia, I responded to your questions about Celery Tree on my blog post, since I thought others might have similar questions. Just letting you know so you can take a look :)
ReplyDeleteI have not heard of this movie. It sounds incredible if a claymation film can bring this kind of emotional response.
btw, I just want to thank you for all the support and encouragement you've given me lately regarding my endeavors, book launch, Celerytree launch, etc. It means a lot to me.
Thanks, Karen. Now I know that I do have to register and then buy the book.
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