Review of A Monster Calls (2016) by Dave M — 14 Jan 2017

In 2016's dark fantasy drama "A Monster Calls" (PG-13, 1:48), the titular creature is a European yew tree which takes on human form when summoned by a person or when needed to perform some necessary function. That type of tree turns out to be an especially good choice for a monster - especially in this story. Yew trees are very large, some reaching a height of 100 feet and a trunk diameter of 20 feet. For centuries, the yew tree has been planted in church yards, due to the symbolic significance of its longevity. The yew's leaves are poisonous, but elements of the bark have been used effectively in the treatment of cancer. As you are about to read, all of this plays into the original story told in this movie.

Conor O'Malley (Lewis MacDougall, from 2015's "Pan") is a very troubled 12-year-old. He is bullied by his classmates in his British prep school, especially by a boy named Harry (James Melville), who physically and emotionally abuses the lad on a regular basis. Conor's parents are divorced and his father (Toby Kebbell) moved to Los Angeles and started a new family. Conor's grandmother (multiple Oscar nominee Sigourney Weaver) is strict and cold, but Conor is forced to spend more time with her due to the illness of Conor's mother, Lizzie (Oscar nominee Felicity Jones), who has an unspecified cancer.

As his mother's health continues to decline, Conor begins receiving visits from an anthropomorphic yew tree which Conor can see from his bedroom window in the church yard across a small valley. The tree appears to Conor as a monster (voiced and played by way of motion-capture animation by Oscar nominee Liam Neeson), but Conor is not afraid. The tree claims that Conor has summoned him and that the monster will continue to visit Conor until the purpose for which he was summoned is fulfilled. The monster will tell Conor three true stories from long ago and then Conor will have to tell the monster the story of Conor's recurring nightmare, which is supposed to reveal a truth that Conor is unable to admit.

The monster's stories take the form of fables and appear on the screen as simple but beautiful animated sequences. They involve a prince and his stepmother vying for the throne of their kingdom, a parson who preaches against an old apothecary until he needs the apothecary's help and, lastly, an invisible man. The stories are all symbolic of people or circumstances in Conor's life, but he is initially unable to understand their relevance - or their endings, which are unexpected and disturbing to the young man. Yet, each story brings Conor closer to coming to terms with what is happening in his family - and to having to talk about his haunting nightmare and the truth it reveals, which Conor resists vehemently.

"A Monster Calls" is an original, tragic and beautiful film. MacDougall gives an especially strong and affecting performance in a year full of extraordinary performances by child and teen actors. The various forms of animation all have a raw beauty to them and are very effective at conveying tone and mood. Although the ways that the adults in Conor's life react to the trouble he gets into while expressing his inner turmoil are unrealistically muted, the script (by Patrick Ness, adapting his novel based on a story idea by the late author Siobhan Dowd) is creative and feels authentic. J. A. Bayona's direction is appropriately dark and sensitive. This film works well as entertainment - and as therapy for someone dealing with the illness of a loved one. "A-".