SusannahWHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
December 6th 2009 08:02
Where the Wild Things Are
Starring: Max Records, Catherine Keener, James Gandolfini, Paul Dano, Lauren Ambrose
Directed by: Spike Jonze
Despite being based on the picture book by Maurice Sendak, Where The Wild Things Are is not really a film for kids. It is, rather, a film for adults who fondly remember the picture book.
This film is very, very Spike Jonze in the sense that it is all shot on handheld digital cameras, with muted colours, and it has a very sedate, yet eclectic, indie movie feel to it. Rather than taking children to a magical place of Wild Things, the film instead takes the viewer to a land of depressed, directionless, emotionally unpredictable Wild Things. The plot is about Max (Max Records), a child, who does not seem to have any friends, and who gets angry at his sister when she fails to stop her friends from destroying the igloo he built. Compounding Max’s issues is the fact that his parents appear to be divorced, with his father out of the picture, and his mother (Catherine Keener) seeing a new boyfriend (Mark Ruffalo for one scene).
When his mother has her boyfriend over, Max acts out. Putting on his wolf costume, he refuses to behave, and ends up biting his mother when she attempts to get him to control himself. Max runs away from his family, into the woods, where he finds a sailing boat, and sails away to an island where the Wild Things dwell.
The Wild Things creature effects are extremely well done. Part animatronic suit, part CGI, the Wild Things are extremely expressive in the face. I challenge you not to be moved by the sadness on the Wild Things’ faces when Max leaves the island. On our first glimpse of them, Carol (James Gandolfini), is destroying the Wild Things’ houses because of his frustration over the fact that K. W. is spending a lot of time with her new friends, Bob and Terry. The Wild Things initially look fearsome, and inherent is the fear that they will eat Max, which they invariably threaten to do. Carol desperately wants some kind of hope and unity brought to the lives of the Wild Things, and so makes Max their king, digging a crown for him out of a pile of bones, of which Max asks “are those former kings?” Max Records, as Max, is also excellent in the lead role, portraying both wild, acting-out behaviour that will make all parents nervous that their own kids will get bad ideas, and innocent vulnerability and isolation in a world he does not quite yet understand.
Despite Max being the closest to Carol out of all the Wild Things, the threat of his temper is ever present, and what he will do to Max if he realises that he does not have the ability to solve all of the Wild Things’ problems, including keeping the loneliness out. The Wild Things are an interesting bunch; they have the proportions of toddlers, yet they have huge scary mouths, and fearsome claws and teeth, like the original illustrations from Maurice Sendak’s book. The Wild Things are Douglas, who is bird-like and who is level-headed and Carols’ best friend; Alexander (Paul Dano), the small, intelligent, goat-like one that no one listens to; the couple, Judith and Ira: Judith is negative and sarcastic, and Ira punches holes in trees; The Bull, who says nothing and keeps to himself; and K.W. (Lauren Ambrose) who is kindly towards Max, but who is frustrated with Carol’s outbursts.
All the Wild Things appear to represent different aspects of Max’s psyche. His interactions with them help him to come to terms with his behaviour in the real world, and to realise that although we all may have wild tendencies, they cannot be indulged all the time without consequences. How Max feels towards the Wild Things, and the different parts of him they represent, is best exemplified in the mud fight he organise where he divides the Wild Things into good guys and bad guys. The good guys are: Carol, K.W., Max and Douglas. The bad guys: Judith, Ira, The Bull and Alexander.
Max comes to learn what he needs to keep in check about his own behaviour, and what can be controlled and what cannot about the outside world. One hilarious scene at the start of the film has a school-teacher explaining to children how The Sun will one day go supernova, wiping out all of humanity in its wake, and meaning the end of earth as we know it. You cannot get more beyond human control than that.
Rather than being aimed at kids, Where The Wild Things Are is rather a meditation on the state of childhood, and learning to accept ourselves and the state of the world as we grow older.
Starring: Max Records, Catherine Keener, James Gandolfini, Paul Dano, Lauren Ambrose
Directed by: Spike Jonze
Despite being based on the picture book by Maurice Sendak, Where The Wild Things Are is not really a film for kids. It is, rather, a film for adults who fondly remember the picture book.
This film is very, very Spike Jonze in the sense that it is all shot on handheld digital cameras, with muted colours, and it has a very sedate, yet eclectic, indie movie feel to it. Rather than taking children to a magical place of Wild Things, the film instead takes the viewer to a land of depressed, directionless, emotionally unpredictable Wild Things. The plot is about Max (Max Records), a child, who does not seem to have any friends, and who gets angry at his sister when she fails to stop her friends from destroying the igloo he built. Compounding Max’s issues is the fact that his parents appear to be divorced, with his father out of the picture, and his mother (Catherine Keener) seeing a new boyfriend (Mark Ruffalo for one scene).
When his mother has her boyfriend over, Max acts out. Putting on his wolf costume, he refuses to behave, and ends up biting his mother when she attempts to get him to control himself. Max runs away from his family, into the woods, where he finds a sailing boat, and sails away to an island where the Wild Things dwell.
The Wild Things creature effects are extremely well done. Part animatronic suit, part CGI, the Wild Things are extremely expressive in the face. I challenge you not to be moved by the sadness on the Wild Things’ faces when Max leaves the island. On our first glimpse of them, Carol (James Gandolfini), is destroying the Wild Things’ houses because of his frustration over the fact that K. W. is spending a lot of time with her new friends, Bob and Terry. The Wild Things initially look fearsome, and inherent is the fear that they will eat Max, which they invariably threaten to do. Carol desperately wants some kind of hope and unity brought to the lives of the Wild Things, and so makes Max their king, digging a crown for him out of a pile of bones, of which Max asks “are those former kings?” Max Records, as Max, is also excellent in the lead role, portraying both wild, acting-out behaviour that will make all parents nervous that their own kids will get bad ideas, and innocent vulnerability and isolation in a world he does not quite yet understand.
Despite Max being the closest to Carol out of all the Wild Things, the threat of his temper is ever present, and what he will do to Max if he realises that he does not have the ability to solve all of the Wild Things’ problems, including keeping the loneliness out. The Wild Things are an interesting bunch; they have the proportions of toddlers, yet they have huge scary mouths, and fearsome claws and teeth, like the original illustrations from Maurice Sendak’s book. The Wild Things are Douglas, who is bird-like and who is level-headed and Carols’ best friend; Alexander (Paul Dano), the small, intelligent, goat-like one that no one listens to; the couple, Judith and Ira: Judith is negative and sarcastic, and Ira punches holes in trees; The Bull, who says nothing and keeps to himself; and K.W. (Lauren Ambrose) who is kindly towards Max, but who is frustrated with Carol’s outbursts.
All the Wild Things appear to represent different aspects of Max’s psyche. His interactions with them help him to come to terms with his behaviour in the real world, and to realise that although we all may have wild tendencies, they cannot be indulged all the time without consequences. How Max feels towards the Wild Things, and the different parts of him they represent, is best exemplified in the mud fight he organise where he divides the Wild Things into good guys and bad guys. The good guys are: Carol, K.W., Max and Douglas. The bad guys: Judith, Ira, The Bull and Alexander.
Max comes to learn what he needs to keep in check about his own behaviour, and what can be controlled and what cannot about the outside world. One hilarious scene at the start of the film has a school-teacher explaining to children how The Sun will one day go supernova, wiping out all of humanity in its wake, and meaning the end of earth as we know it. You cannot get more beyond human control than that.
Rather than being aimed at kids, Where The Wild Things Are is rather a meditation on the state of childhood, and learning to accept ourselves and the state of the world as we grow older.
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