A Monster Calls - Crim Reviews Movies
- Phillip Tackett
- Apr 18, 2017
- 3 min read
A Monster Calls (2016)
"The monster showed up just after midnight. As they do."
So begins the 2011 novel of the same name. From a premise created by Siobhan Dowd, and finished to book by writer Patrick Ness after Dowd’s death year years prior, A Monster Calls follows the tale of a 12 year-old boy, Conor O’Malley (Lewis Macdougall). His mother, played by Felicity Jones of Rogue One fame, has been plagued by a terminal cancer for some time. Conor has grown accustomed to this, just as he is to his estranged father and rather cold grandmother. What he hasn’t adapted to is a monster, much more than figurative (with the voice of Liam Neeson), that keeps visiting him every night at exactly 12:07.
From the opening scene, A Monster Calls establishes a deeply unsettling atmosphere. In fact, the entire first 10 minutes set a tone that is harsh and maintained throughout its near 2-hour runtime, which is something to be admired. It’s almost reminiscent of a 80s fantasy flick (the likes of Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal), where grit and dirt run rampant on set and in quality. What sets A Monster Calls, apart from most of those flicks, though, is it’s unwillingness to shy away from the hard truths set in its material. Hard truths that most if not all people face, especially in younger ages.
Age is another set-apart of this film from others. The monster itself speaks in the opening: “[There was] a boy too old to be a kid, too young to be a man.” An extremely poignant line, and one to point out the struggle of Conor’s situation. On top of that, he falls target to a bully with a sort of vendetta against him, as well as an austere grandmother and a father who doesn’t ever seem to be there for him, even when in front of him.
The only real connection with Conor in his life is his mother, and the only truly positive force in his life. The intimacy built in their bond tested by the issues arising in the film is strong. One that also shows the power of these two actors in how much restraint is pushed on both the mother and son. Much is held back between them, of which we see how it lets looses within the son in other sequences.
J.A. Bayona’s prior film was the 2012 [natural] disaster drama The Impossible, which would be on my list of favorite movies of that year. He seems to have a knack for grit and realism, traits apparent in both flicks. On top of that, he directs some gutting performances; in both adults (with Naomi Watts and Felicity Jones), and especially in child actors. Before helming the new role of Spider-Man, Tom Holland got his start with a stellar performance in The Impossible. Following Holland, Bayona directs an even greater performance with that of Lewis McDougall in the lead role of A Monster Calls. The role of Conor O’Malley is one soaked in bitterness and distance, but Lewis has a hand in bringing these traits to a grounded field.
Within the same week as watching A Monster Calls, I also bought and read the original novel. Both mediums share the same tone, message, and atmosphere that make each other a triumph. I’d say that the film version is slightly better, particularly for two reasons. That of 1) The grandmother, who is more over-the-top in the book and more grounded in the film; and 2) the ending, which provides an additional layer to the story that gives some levity to all that had been witnessed.
Rating: ★★★★★
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