www.theredrighthand.co.uk
| The Red Right Hand www.theredrighthand.co.uk |
|
|
|
|
|
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE Spike Jonze Starring Max Records Catherine Keener James Gandolfini Quick confession, up until recently I'd never read the 12page picture book this film was based on; I'm not ashamed of it, I just thought I'd get that out there. From what I understand of it, Maurice Sendak's book was a straight-forward tale of a child dealing with emotional issues; you can view it as a basic narrative of adventure or a deeply psychological piece about the cathartic imaginations of children. In essence, the film is the same but as the running time has increased considerably from twelve pages consisting of ten sentences, so too have these sub-elements. Essentially, Max [Records] is an average nine year old with temper issues. One day after getting into a fight with his mother, he runs off and finds an island inhabited by large furry creatures that make him their king. These animals display similar emotional instabilities of any other child and Max soon realises that despite doing whatever he wants, he isn't happy and cannot make the others happy. Coming to terms with his own actions and flooded with an overwhelming homesickness, Max sets sail and arrives home to his worried mother. The end. Addressing the positives - and there are plenty - this film is graced with the perfect casting (both live-action and voiceover), a charming and wholly fitting score, reasonable pace and a whole wealth of beautifully subtle visual elements. Then there's the creatures themselves, The Wild Things. Created by the Henson company, these examples of fine craftsmanship enhanced by moderate computer effects help remind audiences that a sense of both wonderment and dread can be imbued so easily by something that neither looks nor feels 'fake'. Granted, there will be those who attack the simplicity of it all, bemoaning its artistic nature or that it is 'highly unsuitable' for children but therein lies one of the key elements: this is a film littered with adult concepts and ideas about childhood rather than a children's movie. This is best seen during the igloo scene at the start of the film; a moment which perfectly captures and recreates the core issues of being a somewhat outcast and lonely child with a healthy sense of creativity. And yet, with everything going for this film, the greatest source of controversy and debate will be Max's mental state and the oedipal/oral subtexts throughout. On leaving the cinema, I turned to my friends and stated without hesitation that Max suffered from some form of emotional imbalance. Similar to the crux of Doubt the point can be perfectly argued either way and I genuinely do not believe there is a simple yes/no answer. On the one hand, you have a boy who seems a slave to his emotions, unable to process what is and is not acceptable behaviour and on the other you have a young boy living in a fatherless household with a teenage sister who seems more interested in her friends than playing with him. What could be seen as overly-violent irrational tendencies could just as easily be dubbed as temper tantrums; feeling threatened by his mother's new boyfriend could be interpreted as a mild oedipal complex; the island on which the wild things live could be seen as Max's mind and the wild things themselves being physical embodiments of his emotional states just as much as it could possibly be a real island. Ok... maybe not so much that last one. Despite all the depth of this release and all the debatable elements that I could happily ramble on about, it's actually a pretty simple flick. So much so, that it becomes a good analogy for adults over-complicating the trials of children - especially in contemporary times, when every single kid has to be diagnosed with something. In summation, I don't necessarily believe this is a film for adults anymore than it's specifically intended for children. If anything, each age group will take something different away from it because it's not pretentious, slow or underplayed, it's just honest. Release Date: 11th December 2009 The Scene To Look Out For: The most memorable scene for me was the opening title sequence, just because it scared the piss out of me. After a few quirky scribblings over the title cards, we're shown a shaky-cam sequence of Max in a wolf costume, wielding a fork, chasing a dog around the house. On capturing the canine, he begins to wrestle with it, laughing all the while. The shot freezes on a feral face with the title scrawled next to it. This moment divides the audience perfectly. Half of the cinema chuckles to themselves thinking, 'Ah, kids. Playing with the dog, taking things a little too far but having innocent fun' while the other half grips the arm of the chair screaming, 'somebody take that child to one side and tell him he can't do that!' I was very much in the latter category... kid's got a freaking fork for crying out loud! Also, more distressingly, you never see that dog for the duration of the film. Notable Characters: As stated previously, absolutely everyone is perfectly cast in this release. I was greatly confused when I heard James Gandolfini was cast but when you understand the nature of the character, it becomes perfectly clear - it's more than likely a huge Sopranos influence but I've always seen Gandolfini as one of those charming, affable types layered with a disturbing amount of potential aggression (believe it or not, that's a compliment). Equally, Paul Dano's timid Alexander was stupidly endearing, the Catherine O'Hara/Forest Whitaker combination is utterly brilliant and Chris Cooper provides that perfect counterweight of stability. And on top of all that, Max Records is a wonderful find. Highlighted Quote: "He's just a boy, pretending to be a wolf, pretending to be a king" In A Few Words: "Both a deeply analytical base as well as a simple tale of innocence, Where The Wild Things Are is a delightful adaptation" Total Score: 
8/10Matthew Stogdon |
