This week, while the internet was freaking out over 'La La Land' and Meryl Streep's Golden Globes speech, I went to see a movie that was flying a bit more under the radar. I went into 'A Monster Calls' having virtually no idea what it was about. I had seen the trailer, but only had a vague idea of the plot. A child is going through the complexities of growing up and enlists the help of an imaginary tree creature to help him through his struggles. It seemed like a typical kid's movie albeit a good one. Yet the PG-13 rating intrigued me and was the first clue that this movie was not what I was expecting.
The movie is all about Conor, a twelve year old, who's trying to deal with his mother's imminent death from cancer. Conor is a big bundle of emotions, heightened by the fact that he's old enough to know exactly what's going on, but too young to know how to deal with his feelings effectively. The result is a Conor that alternates between long periods of silence and short explosions of temper. When the monster comes to call, he tells Conor stories. Conor, with the viewers along with him, tries to find direct correlations from these stories to his life, but the monster quickly curbs that idea. It is not until the end of the movie that we finally figure out what all of the stories really mean. It also at the end of the movie when Conor and the monster switch roles. Now Conor is the one who tells the story and "speaks his truth". It's a truth which, when I first heard it, made me whisper to myself "of course". It was a truth I connected to, one that I understood and felt so strongly that it made me break down in tears.
'A Monster Calls' was one of the most accurate representations of grief I have seen. It encapsulates everything: hope, frustration, helplessness, anger, and so much more. It was such a beautiful portrayal of such a painful thing. It's a paradox. But life is full of paradoxes, as 'A Monster Calls' wishes to show us. A beloved prince can do evil deeds; a boy can wish for something with all his might but really want the opposite all along; families can drive each other insane but need each other to rely on. Family love encompasses 'A Monster Calls'. Conor's strained relationships with his grandmother and distant father contrast with his intense connection and love for his mother. The love that they share lives on in him, even as he must adjust to his changing world.
'A Monster Calls' may be flying under the radar right now, but it certainly shouldn't be. It's a movie that everyone should go see. See it for all the times you've grieved. See it to understand grief better. See it to just have a good cry. But go see it. You'll be glad you did.
