It would be a mistake to write A Monster Calls off as ‘just another one of those’ modern young adult bestsellers that’s gotten the Hollywood treatment. Sure, the narrative of the film is propelled forward by the on-screen performance of an emerging child actor (Lewis MacDougall) and the CGI-performance of a big established figure (Liam Neeson) in much the same way as something like The Golden Compass.
However, in line with many recent movies that are marketed towards the younger side of the young adult crowd, it’s got a surprising amount of depth to it.
Based on the book of the same name by Patrick Ness, the story explores the tumultuous childhood of Connor O’Malley (MacDougall). Tormented by his peers at school and pressured to take care of his increasingly-sick mother at home, things aren’t going too well for Connor.
As his mother’s condition takes a turn for the worse, Connor is visited by the film’s titular monster (Neeson) and asked to both listen to the monster’s stories and then to share his own truth with the creature. This is where things get a bit different.
The Monster’s tales then form the spine of the film. His fables – each taking place in a surreal world of watercolour animation – draw Connor into a temporary world of kings, queens, priests and apothecaries. However, refreshingly, the film’s script refuses to grant this fantasy the black-and-white morality that Connor craves. In the Monster’s stories, there are no easy answers.
Of course, the illusion can only last so long – and it isn’t long before the film dives back into the real world and moves Connor ever closer to the edge of tragedy.
Where other adaptations of this material might bend towards spectacle, director J.A. Bayona keeps thing very character-focused and novelistic in tone. Bayona also has a great cinematic eye. He’s constantly finding unconventional ways to present scenes and film the framing of the camera for all its worth.
It helps that A Monster Calls gets casting so right. Neeson draws from his reservoir of gravitas to great effect and even MacDougall acquits himself admirably. Even if he does fall into some of the traps of child actors – he does a great job of building up Connor’s complex sense of angst through the film.
Sigourney Weaver and Felicity Jones round out the film with surprisingly evocative performances. They each carry a familial weight in their performances that lends them a potent cocktail of vulnerability and authenticity.
Suffice to say, as someone not familiar with the source material, the film’s endgame proved surprisingly nuanced and genuinely emotionally mature in a way that most film’s aimed at this genre’s audience aren’t.
A Monster Calls is a credit to what all young adult movies could be. It has a great sense of tone, dramatic gravity and emotional depth. Perhaps more importantly, it goes to show that good filmmaking still resonates no matter how old you are.
Review Score: THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
A Monster Calls releases in Australian cinemas on the 27th of July.
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