A Monster Calls (2016)

Slow, dark, thoughtful, with a great message. Uses tragedy to remind people of what's important in life. One of the best movies of 2017. It's a bit of a downer, but the messages are beautiful, inspiring, and on-target. If you can handle a movie that's showing the human spirit through the trials that life, and a child's shock, frustrations, and coping mechanisms for dealing with the powerlessness of the human condition, then you'll love it. ℹ️ Info           ~ Aristotle Sabouni Created: 2017-09-04

Details

Twelve-year-old Conor O'Malley is having a rough year. His mother's slow succumbing to terminal cancer, his estranged father starting a new life far away, and his new life with his grandmother.... and of course a schoolyard bully tormenting him. He recedes into his life of art and fantasy -- where his local Yew Tree comes to life and tells him three true stories, in exchange for Connor admitting his darkest truth (his nightmare).

This is NOT a happy-go-lucky rom-com or action film. But it has messages that should long outlast the special effects.

• The first story captivated me with its brutal honesty.
• The second was a bit more biting with a tragic ending.
• And the third the least satisfying of them all.

But they're all brutal truths that force Connor to accept his own.

It was a bit long in spots. And in hindsight a bit cliché and predictable -- sort of Dickens'esque. But it was way, way deeper than one expects from a monster in the closet kind of film. The dialog, acting, visuals, and message were dead on. If you don't cry, then you're a heartless bastard. But it's a good cry while watching others come to terms with the meanings of grief. And through that, reminding them of what's important in life.

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