A MONSTER CALLS

A MONSTER CALLS

This is an emotionally arresting film which centres on Conor (Lewis MacDougall), a 12 year-old boy who inadvertently summons an imaginary tree monster to aid in the acceptance of his mother’s impending death from terminal cancer.

Writers have been very vindictive to this young lost soul, who is also being bullied at school, is friendless, rarely sees his estranged father and doesn’t sympathise with his grandmother.

In all its grandeur, this dark fantasy drama which boasts mesmerising cinematography and a marvellous cast headed by Liam Neeson (who lends his vocal talents as the tree monster) and Sigourney Weaver as the stern but loving grandmother, may struggle to find an audience.

The scary and depressing nature of this film will deter families from attending and adults will assume that it’s a holiday flick for children, owing to the titular role being that of a young boy.

Regardless, the technical inventiveness and breathtaking nature of the production and the originality of the story which resonates themes of love, hope, loss and the inevitability of death, deliver a heart-wrenching cinematic experience which will leave audiences emotionally fatigued. (MMo)

★★★★

 

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