Mary & Max (2009)

Charming, unique 

and highly touching.

One of the greatest

emotional tales in 

animation history.

This is one of several films to have had a profound and confusing effect upon myself. I was totally stunned as to how a film of the caliber could have been made. Despite a fairly slim budget, one of the most technically outstanding and emotionally evocative animated films I have ever seen. I am genuinely stunned as to how this film is not considered a universal classic, and is relegated to being a moderately popular cult film. It saddens me that this film is not more influential or iconic than it is.

The most significant aspect of this film is it's animation. It is one of the most uniquely charming and shockingly beautiful looking films I have ever seen. There are so many shots which are now burned into my mind, and so visuals which legitimately baffle me as to how they were even accomplished at all. Rest assured, watching this film will subject you to some of the most charming and creative visuals you will ever see in a low-key drama.

Aside from the spectacular aesthetic, the film succeeds in telling a simple, yet highly moving and effective story. The majority of this story is told through the visual cues, and narration is only used to help cement and solidify the ideas and concepts on display. The tale describes the lives of two lonely and frustrated characters, as they help each other through each others lives.  Despite the simplicity of that concept, it covers many interesting topics and ideas. For example, mental illness, religion and the trials found when entering adulthood. Along with the animation, the power of this low-key and dramatic storyline should be lauded as standing amongst the truly great and more inspiration and influence should be drawn from this masterful piece of work.

The voice acting in this film is also of a very high quality. Phillip Seymour Hoffman is absolutely fantastic as Max, totally immersing himself within the role and transforming himself into the fascinating character of Max. I am surprised that the lat actor didn't perform more voice acting roles before his untimely death, as he clearly had talent in that field. Toni Collette is also great as Mary, offering a powerful warmth and genuine quality to the character. She very much impressed me along with Hoffman. Finally Barry Humphries is perfect as the narrator, giving the film a reserved class and sense of grandure, which I feel helped immensely. The voice cast of fantastic, and really helped to introduce me to some of the talent available in current Australian cinema. 

Overall, I found Mary and Max to be a captivating window into a unique world. I was overwhelmingly impressed, and the film far surpassed my fairly lofty expectations (considering it currently resides in the IMDB top 250, as it deserves to). I highly recommend this picture to any body interested in animation, or any body who wishes to experience one of the best dramatic tales of the last decade.

By Jack D. Phillips

A Zoom Film Review