A MONSTER CALLS
UK/Spain, 2016, 108 minutes, Colour.
Lewis Mac Dougall, Sigourney Weaver, Felicity Jones, Toby Kebble, voice of Liam Neeson.
Directed by J.A.Bayona.
The tone of the title of this film may put off many an audience who would benefit by seeing it. It sounds like monster film – and it is, only the monster is a different kind of monster, terrifying, yes, but a moralising monster.
The film is based on a novel by Patrick Ness and directed by Spanish J. A. Bayona who directed the tsunami film, The Impossible.
The setting is an English town where Conor (Lewis Mac Dougall in a persuasive performance, both sympathetic and abrasive), aged 12, small for his age, lives with his mother (a rather sweet and fey Felicity Jones) who is undergoing a variety of treatments for a terminal illness, most of them not working for her benefit. Conor is very close to his mother, relying on her, especially after his repetitive nightmares, at 12.07 during the night. His father has left the family and has gone to California, marrying again and having another child. Also present in the town is Conor’s severe grandmother (Sigourney Weaver), concerned about her daughter’s health, disdaining her son-in-law, not really clicking at all with Conor.
Another pressure on Conor is his being severely bullied at school, mocked, punched and kicked by disdainful fellow-students who resent him living in his own world, finally deciding that they would not even see him. There is a kindly teacher of maths who offers to help but Conor is too reserved.
In fact, Conor’s father (Toby Kebble) comes for a visit from America, takes his son out, tries to help, inviting him to visit America but saying that the new household is too crowded for him to come to live with him.
And the monster? He truly has the look of the monster, rather gigantic, a huge tree come to life, bark and branches but with intense eyes, often red, with the voice of Liam Neeson who can be both menacing and encouraging. As he appears, he tries to instruct Conor, urging him to be assertive, trying to throw light on how sad he is as well as angry. The method of the monster is to tell three stories with unanticipated moral endings to make Conor think and to tell his story so that he might understand the truth about himself. There is the story of the Prince who resents his grandfather’s remarrying, branding his wife is a witch, intending to marry a fine girl but finding her murdered – and a surprise reassessment of who was the villain. In the second story, a greedy apothecary heals people but is denounced by the local parson, the monster wreaking some vengeance on the parson for giving up his beliefs rather than on the apothecary. There is a brief third story about a man who cannot be seen, is allowed to be seen but still feels alone.
This leads to a dramatic sequence where the monster seems to be encouraging Conor’s anger and he has an extraordinary outburst, destructive, in his grandmother’s house.
Ultimately, through another nightmare, Conor begins to realise the truth about himself, the pain that he is experiencing, his love for his mother and having to accept her illness and death.
Many parents may well identify with the characters in this film. So will any children who have suffered similar experiences. In this way, A Monster Calls is a very challenging film, a family film in the sense that it is about family and suffering.
1. The title, the tone, expectations?
2. Target audience, children’s audience, adults, family?
3. The British setting, the town, home and interiors, the school, classroom, the hospital, the cemetery? The ordinariness of British life in the town? The musical score?
4. Fantasy, the nightmares, the church and its collapse, the cliff? The later nightmare with, his mother and the cliff?
5. The monster, appearance, the large tree, the branches, eyes on fire, size, walking, crashing and destroying? Liam Neeson’s voice and tone?
6. The moral of the story: telling the truth, freedom through the truth, being oneself? Connor and his having to learn? The
7. The situation, Conor, his age, living with his mother, her illness and its toll on her, on him, the range of treatments, to hospital, the bonding of mother and son, his dependence, his fears and nightmares and going to her room? His father absent, in America, remarrying, the half-sister? His grandmother and her severity, concerned about her daughter? His being bullied at school, the severity of the punches and kicks? The boys and their envy? The teacher inviting him to confide? The maths lessons? His art, his drawing, getting the skills from his mother (and flashbacks to hers as a child, her art, falling in love, marrying, love for her child, not pursuing her art)? The grandmother, his having to move, visits to hospital, his father’s visit, going to the fair and the day out, his anger?
8. The bullying at school, his final retaliation, the discussions with the principal, his anger? The issue of his not being seen and the bully not seeing him? Accusations of living in his own world?
9. The experience of the monster, appearance, the talking, the clock and the time? The monster and his expectations, breaking expectations, especially through the morals of his stories?
10. The first story: the story of the Prince, the King’s death, his wife is a witch, evil? The unexpected turn, the prince, his malice, killing his fiancee, his rule for a long time?
11. The second story: the apothecary, the parson denouncing him, in need for healing for his daughters, the apothecary refusing, but the monster destroying the parson’s house for giving up his beliefs while the apothecary was a healer?
12. The third story: lonely man who is not seen, becomes visible, is still feeling solitary?
13. the build up, the monster teaching, Conor, his own fourth story?
14. His grandmother’s home, confined, the locked door, the old clock? The monster, urging him to be assertive, his anger, his breaking everything in the room, his father’s
appearance, his grandmother’s dismay? Not being punished – what would be the point?
15. His mother, in hospital, the failure of the treatments, grandmother’s concern, Conor’s anger, the visits?
16. The monster, the final dream, destruction, the cliff collapsing and Conor holding onto his mother, having to let her go?
17. Admitting the truth his wanting the pain to cease, to let go of his mother?
18. His grandmother, his room, the art – his growing up and a new future?
