A girl from a poor, dysfunctional family strikes up an unlikely friendship with an eccentric person who may be her silver lining in life.
Realism and fantasy blend to create a story that captivates but does not necessarily fulfil. This combination can have an extraordinary effect. A Monster Calls (2016): https://kaygazpro.com/a-monster-calls-2016-animation-drama-fantasy/ is a prime example. Writer/Director Andrea Arnold, the woman behind the amazing Fish Tank (2009) and American Honey (2016), mounts the camera once more and depicts dysfunctional characters and stories that can be predominantly fully understood if one has experienced them. Having lived myself in such areas and blocks of flats, I can tell you that what Arnold captures through her lens is not far from how things actually are. The people, the poverty and the problems that come with it, the attitudes, the vernacular, the domestic violence, but also the psychological and emotional violence come as a package. And each house/flat, street, neighbourhood, and city is affected by that package, which only amplifies those problems. And when real solutions are not applicable, when real help is nowhere to be found, when day in and out one feels down on their luck and at a constant dead-end… this is when Arnold brings in the fantasy element; the way out of life’s suffocation.
The introduction of Bird, his story and his abilities change the film’s tone, and while for some, this might be disappointing, confusing or out of place, there is a hint I can give you. Always keep in mind that the way you see him is the way that the girl sees him. Make of this what you will, but rely on your own understanding of the events. Is there a happy ending? The amazing soundtrack provides some potential answers. In front of the camera, Nykiya Adams, Franz Rogowski, and Barry Keoghan become their roles – even though it is understood that they were not fully understood.
Are “Don’t you worry” and “Everything will be all right” just words that sugarcoat life’s bitterness and cruelty, or was there a happy ending after all? And when you make it to the end, go back and think of that little, lovely dog and what may have happened…
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