World Animation - Australia: Mary and Max (2009)

(Mary and Max Poster, 2009)

Mary and Max is a 2009 stop motion comedy-drama film directed by Adam Elliot. Set in 1975, it tells the story of Mary Daisy Dinkle and Max Jerry Horowitz as they form an unlikely friendship.

Core Premise

The core themes in this film are loneliness, neglect, depression, anxiety, disability and most importantly friendship. They are all challenging things to discuss in a film, but through the use of animation, we are able to distance ourselves from reality in order to discuss these issues.

Animation and Production

The film was made using Claymation, and the characters aren't very lifelike, so it allows for the film to show things that might be upsetting in a live action film, such as death, suicide, drug use and alcoholism. If the film were live action the director wouldn't have been able to talk about these things openly, and people may find it too uncomfortable to watch.

Reception

Mary and Max received positive reviews and won many awards. Matt Ravier said the story is "paper-thin and some stretches of it are simply too long, yet whenever the narrative thread threatens to tear the sheer authenticity and bold honesty of the characters save the day" (Ravier, 2009). The Los Angeles Times called it remarkable and poignant.

Bibliography:

Images:

Mary and Max. (2009). [image] Available at: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/42/b6/1e/42b61efa8760719fb089d6a9a1a88d1e.jpg

Quotes:

Ravier, M. (2009). Review: Mary and Max (2009). [online] In Film Australia - all about Australian films. Available at: https://web.archive.org/web/20110706105455/http://www.infilm.com.au/?p=745 [Accessed 27 Jan. 2019].