Ani-MAY-tion: Mary And Max (2009)

Every time I dive a bit deeper into the world of animation, I am almost pleasantly surprised by the sheer range of style and content to be explored. Far too many people still think that animation equals kid-friendly movies and, while the great majority of animated films do fall into that bracket, that really isn't the case for people willing to give their time to film-makers wanting to deliver their message in a way that isn't the standard live-action film form.

Mary And Max is a prime case in point. I guess that children could watch this, there are moments of darkness but nothing really too disturbing or graphic, and it would raise some interesting points for discussion. But it will really strike a chord with adult viewers, those who have seen the world through some of the filters used by both protagonists. Mary has the innocence of youth for a lot of the film, Max has a tense and confused relationship with a world that expects him to act like every other adult, despite the fact that he has health issues affecting the way he interacts with others.

Narrated by Barry Humphries, this is the tale of two unlikely pen pals, and therefore also manages to be the tale of two lives. Mary (voiced by Bethany Whitmore, and then by Toni Collete) is a lonely young girl who lives in Melbourne. Max (voiced by Philip Seymour Hoffman) is a middle-aged man who lives in New York. The two would seem to have nothing in common, yet they develop a strong friendship through the years. Can it last though?

Written and directed by Adam Elliot, it doesn't take long to see why he decided to make this an animated movie. First of all, he heads up a great team. Second, there are many moments in this film that would be unbearably depressing if shown in live-action. In animated form, viewers can still find humour in the many lovely touches in each frame, carried through some of the darker scenes by the attention to detail. This is a movie that feels, like so many of the best animated movies, crafted with real care, hard work, and an eagerness to pack every frame with subtle delights.

The voices are equal to the visuals. Whitmore is a naive joy as young Mary, while Collete somehow keeps the voice of that inner child there even as she becomes more affected and worn down by adulthood. Hoffman is wonderfully gruff at all times, whether he's being grumpy or sweet and earnest. And Barry Humphries is a great addition as the narrator, given so many great scripted lines that it's hard to imagine him not relishing every one of them.

Despite me going on about the animated coating making the pill easier to swallow, this isn't an easy watch. There were moments in the third act in which I had to stop my lip from wobbling and my eyes from tearing up as I journeyed on to whatever the end would bring. I had become so strongly attached to both of the main characters that any of the ways in which life started to intensely knock them down caused me to have a lump in my throat immediately.

This is, to date, the only feature from Elliot. I hope he does more, and I'll be keen to check out his short films ASAP.

9/10

You can buy the movie here.
Americans can buy it here.