Before Mary and Max, there was Adam Elliot's Uncle, Cousin, Brother and, of course, the Oscar-winning (in 2003, for best short film), Harvey Krumpet. Last weekend, ACMI screened Elliot's previous shorts and the following day, I saw his latest outing at a Rivoli cinema preview. It was a great experience, seeing all in close proximity. There's a common aesthetic: the visuals (minimal use of colour), the narrative (all depend largely on a narrator), the look of the characters and the pathos of the stories.
Elliot has a wonderful way of telling stories and, seeing him interviewed, I'm always taken at how much he looks like one of his plasticine characters. I love this themes of diversity and acceptance, blending in bleak themes that normally might turn audiences away, yet somehow captivate in this medium.
Last year, when Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis came out, I commented that this is the type of film that Australians should be making. With Mary and Max, Elliot has done it. It's very engaging and entertaining film, something we rarely hear a local film described as. It's also something you can take the kids to: it makes mature themes accessible to children. My eight-year old son loved it as much as I. It should do very well at the box office and I recommend it.
Meanwhile, here's Elliot's earlier work, all of which we had the good fortune to see at ACMI on the big screen in one sitting.
Uncle
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Cousin
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Brother
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Harvey Krumpet
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4 comments:
Interesting to see that your eight-year-old got something out of it, what with the controversy over the appropriateness of the film for children.
Controversy? What controversy? I don't see any issues with children seeing it. It's no darker than the evening news, and certainly more accessible for children. Adam Elliot has stated words to the effect that it's adult entertainment that can be enjoyed by children.
Yeah I agree, but a lot of mainstream reviews have said that Mary and Max is not for children: Jim Schembri gave it a glowing review but also thinks it should be rated M rather than PG.
OK, just checked out what Schembri says:
A caution to parents, though. Mary and Max is an adult film, and much as I adore it the PG rating is arguably too generous. Mary's gorgeous bulb-shaped face might look like a Peanuts character but this is not a film for very young or sensitive children. It deserved an M.
I agree it's not for very young children but have no problem with a PG rating. As I said, the evening news tends to be more challenging for children.
FWIW, I totally disagree not only with the censorship regime we have in this country, but also with the social standards that equate The Lion King or Beauty and the Beast as benign family entertainment. I believe that these Disney-type films are insidious, dangerous, create unrealistic social expectations that lead to untold pain. Aside from that, they're artistically void, corralling children into mindless Hollywood entertainment without any intellectual or psychological stimulation. Max and Mary is a cure to that kind of mediocrity. Remember that PG means "Parental Guidance".
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