A Monster Calls

A MONSTER CALLS

Director : J.A Bayona

Year : 2017

Genre : Drama

Rating : *****

In his second movie release of the week, Liam Neeson lends his unmistakable vocal chords to a gigantic talking tree in J.A Bayona's 'A Monster Calls', a wonderful, heartbreaking and deeply affecting adaptation of Patrick Ness' highly acclaimed young adult novel of the same name. Starring Felicity Jones, Sigourney Weaver, the aforementioned voice of Neeson and newcomer Lewis MacDougall, the film tells the incredibly upsetting story of Conor 'O Malley (MacDougall), a 13 year old boy who is failing to come to terms with the imminent death of his terminally sick mother (Jones). Bullied at school and at constant loggerheads with his well-meaning yet acerbic grandmother (Weaver), Conor's life seems to be uncontrollably falling apart around him. That is until one night when he is visited by the titular monster, a 'Pans Labyrinth'-ine ancient spirit who comes to Conor with the promise of three stories - stories which intend to change him for the better and which are to be followed by Conor's own tale, namely that of his ultimate nightmare. 

Despite only being 14, Lewis MacDougall - whose name we will be hopefully seeing a lot of during this years award season - gives a brilliant performance, full of the artistic grace and heart-wrenching realism of an actor far beyond his experience. His wide eyes perfectly convey the lost soul trapped behind them and while he is asked to do a lot of emotional heavy work throughout 'A Monster Calls', he rises up to the challenge with defiance, technique and incomparable skill. Felicity Jones too is terrifically believable as Conor's stricken mother and Weaver makes the most of her potentially unsympathetic role as Conor's grandmother. But above all that, what is so remarkable about 'A Monster Calls' is it's uncanny and completely unintentional abilities to tap into my own personal feelings of parental loss. 

The screenplay, expertly adapted by Patrick Ness from his own source, does an excellent job of placing us in Conor's fragile shoes and while some of the secondary characterisations feel rather cartoonish at times, what is never lost is the excruciating emotion and gut-punching power of bereavement which hangs over the movie like an impenetrable black cloud. I was only 10 years old when I lost my father to cancer and while I feel like I have managed to fully process his passing, 15 years later, I still feel a lot of pain and, most noticeably, anger in my heart. Like 'Let The Right One In' before it, 'A Monster Calls' not only portrays the sometimes crushing loneliness of childhood but also the incessant rage and frustration and it is these scenes which pack a particular emotional punch for me. It's hard to watch Conor beating a rubbish bin with a stick and not be reminded of Kare Handebrant's Oskar viciously stabbing a snow-covered tree following a confrontation with local thugs in Tomas Alferedson's 2009 vampire masterpiece. I too, like Conor experienced physical and psychological torment following the death of my father and even now, the words still cut very deep indeed. I wish that 'A Monster Calls' had existed when I was a teenager because I feel like I could have processed the death of my Dad in a much easier and controlled way. 

Technically, the film is masterful in almost every way. The performances are brilliant, the special effects that bring the eponymous beast to life are spectacular without ever overshadowing the plot and the narrative is told with grace and care. But what I adore so much about 'A Monster Calls' is that it has, in a completely unexpected way, helped me, after one and a half decades, finally come to terms with the death of my Dad. And for that, I thank it with all of my heart and soul. I laughed a lot, I cried a lot and I remembered and any movie that can do that is, in my book, very special indeed.