Mary and Max

Mary and Max is a recent claymation endeavor hailing from the land down under.  I was intrigued by the first trailer I saw and knew that I would have to watch it when it came to DVD.  Currently it is available for instant streaming via Netflix so it was quite convenient to do so.  With an impressive 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the film has been well received by critics and has been the most successful all Aussie film in recent times.

We are first introduced to Mary Daisy Dinkle (Toni Collette) as an awkward eight year old living in a small Australian town with her consistently tipsy mother and father who spends most his time in the shed, stuffing road kill.  Curious to find out whether babies are found at the bottom of beer glasses in America, the same place they come from in Australia, she writes to the first American her finger lands on in the phone book.  A little while later, her letter reaches Max Jerry Horowitz (Philip Seymour Hoffman), an overweight, 44 year old atheistic Jewish man with Aspergers who lives in New York City.  And so an unusual friendship is born.

The story is told mostly through the two characters' letters and the narration of Barry Humphries.  Aesthetically and thematically I would make some comparisons to early Tim Burton as well as Roald Dahl.  Though featuring a young child and being an animated film, this is not for children.  There are a number of very dark themes explored, such as depression, suicide, alcoholism, mental breakdowns, and neglect.  There are also a number of distinctly adult situations.  Despite the dark content and color pallet, this is a disturbing but cute story.  Eric Bana also appears as Damien, Mary's eventual romantic interest.

This movie doesn't have a distinct plot, but is instead a touching tale of two people struggling through life and learning from each other.  In the same way that The Miracle Maker succeeded, it is easy to forget that you are watching lumps of clay, as the stop motion figures become more human than most human actors.  There is a comedic overtone throughout the movie, though it is usually of the darker variety.  For example, a running theme is how Max's many fish meet their unfortunate demise, one after another.

In many ways, Mary and Max is depressing and does not have a traditional happy ending, but it is too good to pass up.

***** (5/5 stars)