A Monster Calls (2016) (original) (raw)

A boy seeks the help of a tree monster to cope with his single mom's terminal illness.

A boy seeks the help of a tree monster to cope with his single mom's terminal illness. (less)

Director: J.A. Bayona
Writers: Patrick Ness, Siobhan Dowd
Starring: Lewis MacDougall, Sigourney Weaver, Felicity Jones, Toby Kebbell, Liam Neeson, Ben Moor
Producer: Belen Atienza

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Review

Review by Brian Orndorf, December 29, 2016

8 / 10

Sadness is an unavoidable response to �A Monster Calls.� Director J.A. Bayona (�The Orphanage,� �The Impossible�) is tasked with brightening up somber material, using heavy swings of fantasy to alleviate a tale that touches on terminal illness, bullying, and absentee parenting. While never jaunty, �A Monster Calls� does reach a compelling level of mystery to keep it on the move, working to wrap its arms around the saga of a teenage boy facing the grim reality of death for the first time in his life, turning to his imagination to help deal with a flurry of feelings. Behaviors ring true and perf ...read more...

| | My rating | 7.5689% like it | | ----------- | --------------- |

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