A Monster Calls (2017)

“I just want it to stop!”

What’s it about?

A kid with a sick mother gets visited by a monster, where he demonstrates the four stories of grief.

Who’s in it?

A kid called Lewis MacDougall, Felicity Jones, Dr. Doom,  Sigourney Weaver and Liam Neeson as Groot’s cousin who has more of a vocabulary range.

Why should I watch it?

+ The kid was solid, he got given a lot and he performed really well
+ Felicity Jones goes from overcoming the Empire to being overwhelmed by cancer
+ It’s a grown up kids movie
+ With a nice mix of fantasy and reality
+ Has some borderline scary parts, the quick cut to the church scenes got me every time
+ Made me chuckle a few times too
+ Like the relationship of the kid with his mother, grandmother and dad
+ Love the animation of the stories and the analogy
+ How it relates to the kid personally and how people are not necessarily good or bad, there’s a lot of grey areas
+ Liam Neeson’s voice as The Monster fits so well
+ Tackles heavy shit
+ It will destroy you emotionally
+ Bring some tissues because it will make you cry
+ Omg, there was actually a guy in the cinema bawling his eyes out…
+ … Is what the guy near me was probably thinking
+  You leave the cinema feeling like someone just broke up with you
+ Third act is just amazing, everything comes together in a beautiful way
+ Especially the fourth story where he has to deal with his truth and guilt
+ What’s great about it is that most films that revolves around an illness focuses on the one with illness but this film wasn’t about that
+ We go through with what the kid is feeling and how he’s making sense of his situation
+ We forget that it’s not only the people with illness that need healing

Why shouldn’t I watch it?

– Fuck me, that bully was such a dick
– Not gonna lie, I had mixed feelings about the second story
– His daughters just died man, don’t go around destroying his house
– I know it’s not the film’s fault
– But fucking hell, there was a kid in my theatre who just didn’t stop fucking around
– She tried her best to make me hate the movie
– I know parenting is hard, but if your kid doesn’t stop talking, take her out before I take her out for you
– Okay, that sounded like a threat
– Where was I?
– It’s not a film you can watch over and over again
– But I’m okay with that

Anything else?

Sorry I haven’t blogged in a while, kinda needed a break for a bit. It’s hard to explain but I just lost the joy of blogging about movies but I’m getting it back!

Like the kid and his grandmother, this film touches on something we can all relate to, dealing with loss. It’s a heartbreaking, smart and beautiful movie. I’m glad it’s the first film I’ve seen this year, 2017 is off to a great start. Make sure to answer that call.

9/10

You might also like:
The Impossible
My Sister’s Keeper
The Orphanage