A Monster Calls (2016)

Usually, I refrain from films tackling topics of grief and death. I am extremely glad I didn't skip A Monster Calls though.

To begin, the plot was an original gripping plot. The symbolism of the monster being Connor's personal demons felt intelligently planned and played out well through out the duration of the film. Towards the end, I was moved to tears and it left an emotional impact on me as the viewer.

Next, the acting was phenomenal. Felicity Jones gave a heartbreaking performance of a character that you simply wanted to remove from their awful situation. Sigourney Weaver also gave an interesting performance of a character that developed over the duration of the film. But in my opinion, the best acting came from young Lewis Macdougal. He showed such an amazing range of emotions and maturity, but still acted like a character his age would. Liam Neeson also added a brilliant voice over to the titular monster.

For my last point, I also enjoyed the sections of the film that were shown in animation. The art style was intriguing and colourful. This helped convey the Monster's stories in an artistic manner.

To conclude, A Monster Calls was an emotional experience that I simply cannot give enough praise to.