MARY AND MAX
Australia, 2009, 92 minutes, Black-and-white and Colour.
Voices of: Bethany Whitmore, Toni Collette, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Eric Bana, John Flaus, Julie Forsyth, Adam Elliot, Ian Meldrum, Renee Geyer.
Narrated by Barry Humphries.
Directed by Adam Elliott.
An excellent Australian film.
The most immediate impact is the animation, the skill of Adam Elliot (after his Oscar for the short film, Harvey Crumpet – and the continuing wish that he would make another film), the idiosyncratic drawing of his characters, the dingy landscapes of suburban Melbourne in the 1970s and 1980s, the black-and-white skyline of New York City. Another word on those idiosyncratic characters, grotesques. This is a word association with Fellini’s films, performers who looked grotesque in real life, bringing a challenging as well as an alarming range of characters. The characters are, physically, all out of proportion, small and eccentric bodies (with Max as obese), large heads. But, with the voice talent, the characters are alive and communicate themselves as real.
Which means that there is a whole lot of caricature going on. Mary’s mother, Vera, with her dangling cigarette, her fondness for sherry (explaining this away as cups of tea), saying she was borrowing when actually she was shoplifting, is the extreme caricature, no sympathy for her. Norm, Mary’s father, is practically invisible, putting tabs on the products in the factory, retreating to work on the back shed. So, what is Elliot saying about the Australian family?
One answer is that it is parody. We appreciate the reality is we grimace at, life at and with, this portrait of life at Mount Waverley.
It is something the same with the portrait of Max. He is a caricature, a 44-year-old man living alone, with pet fish, obese, a penchant for chocolate hotdogs. But, the caricature elicits some sympathy, moments of compassion, when he explains to us that he has psychological difficulties.
Which means then that this is a tale of aloneness, of isolation, loneliness, very sad aspects of the human condition. Which also means that your narrative comes alive when young Mary decides to send a letter to a ransom address from the phone book, in New York City.
Mary and Max come to more vivid life as we listen to their letters, Mary and her questions, recommending sweetened condensed milk, sending chocolates, and Max sitting at his typewriter, describing the different jobs that he has had, his attendance at help meetings, the advice of his counsellor, communication over the years – and Mary’s later discovery that he had kept every letter, laminated each letter covering the walls of his apartment with the joy of their correspondence.
Adam Elliot wrote the screenplay but the voice-over is narrated by Barry Humphries, a delight to listen to, more in his Sandy Stone vein, quiet reminiscences, and attention to domestic details, but not without some verbal barbs in the Dame Edna vein.
Mary seems to have some hope when she goes to the University and studies Asperges, publishes a book and eagerly sends it to Max who interprets it so badly, so hurt, sending the MP from his typewriter to her – but, the film is not without hope, Mary and Max both in the depths but finding ways to say that they are sorry. Reconciliation is certainly possible. And the pathos of Mary, going to New York, finding Max dead, seeing the laminated letters, realising that, despite the sadness, there had been joy in friendship, breaking through loneliness, in both of their lives.
I would like to add that the marvellous, Bethany Whitmore and then Tony Collette as Mary, Philip Seymour Hoffman voicing Max, Eric Banner as Damian a great number of supporting voice cast. And musical score, the continued delight of all kinds of melodies and songs emerging, sometimes snippets, sometimes commentary on the action – from Prokofiev and Romeo and Juliet to Puccini and the Humming Song, from Zorba the Greek to Que Sera, Sera, the joy of the Typewriting song, That’s Life – and the cheery tones of Bert Kamfaert, That Happy feeling and Swinging Safari. A wonderful commentary on the action in melody and song.
A classic Australian film, classic animation, especially for adults, and a thought-provoker about what it is to be Australian (as well as an isolated New Yorker).
1. Strong reputation, originality, classic animation?
2. The animation style, the characters, caricatures and grotesques, the layout, Melbourne suburbs, New York City, the characters and the proportions, features, movements and gate?
3. The voice talent, the narration by Barry Humphries?
4. The black-and-white photography, touches of red, browns for Victoria, black and white and grey for New York City?
5. The vision of the director, memories of Melbourne and suburbia, the 1970s and 1980s, the look, the home, streets and houses, the factory, shops, library, school, university?
6. The range of the musical score, classics and opera, ballet, popular songs, very music, the typewriter song…? The excerpts and the comment on the action?
7. New York City, life, detail, the vistas, the apartment, the city streets, the meeting places?
8. The intertwining of the stories, editing the two characters and their correspondence and characters? The device of the letters?
9. Mary, as a girl, her appearance, the dot on her forehead, her mother and slatternly behaviour, life at home, going to the shops, her mother and the borrowing, shoplifting, the final pursuit? The father, at the factory, the monotonous work, working in the shed, coming to the house, his death? The old neighbour with agoraphobia? Damien across the street, as a boy, growing up? Mary alone, lonely, the solace of her sweetened condensed milk? The questions?
10. Mary and curiosity, the issues where babies come from, wanting to ask, going to the directory, finding Max’s address, writing the letters, the contents and the questions?
11. Max, 44, obese, Asperge, living alone, eating, the chocolate hotdogs, the chocolate variations, the meetings, his failing, not living up to the recommendations, the focus on the doctor and his opinions and Max quoting them? The fish, their deaths? Replacements? Mr Ravioli, a substitute friend, in the corner, the eventual disappearance? Max and his self-analysis, the nature of Asperges, the lists, the difficulties with emotion? His fixations, cigarette butts, the encounter with the man in the street?
12. The correspondence, over a long time, each answering the other, the TV and liking the Noblets, Max keeping the letters, ironing them, laminating them, on the wall? The sending of chocolates and sharing? Max, his typewriter, the typewriter song? His explaining the details of his jobs, activities? The PS, PPS?
13. Max, being upset, standing in the corner to calm down, his time in the institution and not writing?
14. Mary, keeping the letters secret, her mother finding one on destroying it, Mary finding it, getting the agoraphobic man across the street to collect the mail? Mary’s mother, the sherry, as cups of tea? The borrowing and shoplifting? The absent father? Her delighting in the letters and sharing?
15. Mary as older, her father dying, the funeral, her mother’s reaction? Her collapse? Damien across the street, the attraction? The surgery on Mary’s face, failure? Her study, skills, studying mental conditions, strategies, writing the thesis, the production of the book, sending the copy to Max? Her shock at his upset, sending the key for the letter M, his being hurt?
16. Mary, marrying Damien, the celebration, happiness, pregnancy? The failure with the book, pulping it, the drinking? Damien and his character, emerging as gay, his sheep farmer friend in New Zealand? Mary and her decline, drinking?
17. Max, alone, Mary sending the mug with the apology? His decision to send his Noblets? Her delight in receiving them?
18. Mary’s decision to go to New York, the baby, finding Max dead, the effect, her expressing her reflections on their friendship?
19. The parody and its incisiveness in revealing realities, especially what it is to be Australian, in the city, the suburbs? For a lonely American? Satire with empathy? The
philosophical reflections on the good and the bad, on human nature?
