Member review

Mary and Max is a 2009 Australian stop-motion animated dark comedy-drama film written and directed by Adam Elliot. With voices including Philip Seymour Hoffman, Toni Collette, Eric Bana, Bethany Whitmore and with narration by Barry Humphries. It tells the tale of two people who find solace and friendship in the most unlikeliest of places.

Before seeing this film I did have my doubts about it as I haven’t watched many stop motion films before, it took awhile to get into the story but after I had, I could see just how incredible the story and the message behind it was. The story is about eight-year-old Mary Daisy Dinkle and a 44-year-old ex-Jewish atheist Max Jerry Horowitz, two people who couldn’t be any more different, finding solace and comfort in each other when they needed it most.

I loved the differences in their worlds how everything in Max’s world was black and white, and Mary's world was colorful and bright. The only things of colour in Max’s world are the things that Mary has sent to him, a bright red pom pom that he wore on his head and the picture of herself that she drew for him. It was all bright and stood out in his dark world; it was as if she was the only thing that put colour and light into his life.

I was in awe of one scene that I saw in the film where Max was typing furiously on his typewriter, the amount of work and effort that must have gone into just that one scene is phenomenal.

I also liked the music in the film, it fit with the story well and kept my interest all the way through.

I will definitely be watching more stop motion films in the future and also more films by Adam Elliot.