Warner Bros | USA | 94 mins
Where the Wild Things Are is one of the most beautiful and heartfelt films to grace the screen in years. It’s a moving and masterful piece of art. It captures all the wonders and sadness of childhood in the most profound and subtle ways possible. This isn’t just one of the best films of year, but of the decade.
Max (Max Records) is an energetic and playful kid filled with sadness, confusion thanks to tugging emotions. With not being able to impress his sister to not being able to fully express his feelings, he is not exactly happy. One night after arguing with his mother he decides to run away. Where he ends up isn’t exactly the place he expected. After finding a boat not too far from his house he decides to sail away where he finds an island. There he discovers animals who are just like him. After a scary initial encounter, the wild things decide to make him their king. His imaginative stories and lies win them over, they believe he will make all the sadness in their world go away. From then on its Max and the wild things building their dreams while dealing with their darker emotions.
The story is all about childhood. It’s a beautiful journey featuring an authentic kid. The film’s set up and first fifteen minutes establishes everything about Max’s feelings: he is emotional and, like every kid, he needs someone there for him. This is where it becomes apparent that the film isn’t glossing up the true nature of kids, it’s a realistic look. Once Max gets to the island he becomes infatuated with the wild things. On the surface, it may seem because they’re so different and for the most part fun to be around, but they’re also representations of Max. All their wild feelings are parallels to Max’s. Carol (James Gandolfini) is sensitive and lashes out, K.W. (Lauren Ambrose) rationalizes everything, and Alexander feels as if he’s never listened to. All the wild things are Max.
The second act is mostly the buildup of Carol and Max’s touching relationship. Carol is a heartbreaking character that reveals Max’s sensitive side. This relationship takes a turn for the worst in the third act where Carol discovers Max isn’t really a king and can’t make all the “bad” feelings go away. Just like Max he lashes out. He’s hurt and scared, the only thing he knows what to do is to turn towards childish violence aka tantrums.
Records delivers a fantastic and wonderful performance. He doesn’t act like a fake and generic kid stereotype; he isn’t an overly quirky and or joke making kid. He makes Max easy to care for and understandable. He tells lies, acts reckless and feels sadness. Similar to most of the film, Records establishes all these emotions in a subtle way. As stated earlier, Carol is a heartfelt character that Gandolfini triumphantly brings to life. In almost every scene he shows his sad side. Gandolfini’s voice lends a sense of sadness and also joy to the role. When you see Carol happy you only feel a sense of joy. Records and Gandolfini make for a perfect onscreen friendship, while the rest of the cast, excellent actors such as Chris Cooper and Forest Whitaker, deliver their best.
This is Jonze’s third feature film and it’s his most ambitious, and best, yet. He paints a wonderful world filled with real emotions and a lush and colorful aesthetic. This is a gorgeously shot film; all the colors are bright and naturalistic, never too glossy. Jonze shoots the film purely from Max’s perspective, with POV shots and low angle shots up to the larger-than-life creatures. He’s created a film that feels like a journey not just for the character but also for the viewer. He makes the viewer feel as if they’re Max. You enter this world of joy and sadness like him.
Jonze also made the wise decision of allowing the wild things not to be just standard CG characters, but actors in carefully-designed suits. He allows them to add their own stamp to the characters and they all feel more authentic. It’s uncanny how genuine these characters feel, not once does it come in question that these aren’t real creatures. While some may complain about the loose narrative, Jonze lets every scene breath and play out realistically. Whether it just showing Max and the wild things playing around for an excessive amount of time to them building Carol’s idea of a wonderful place, each of those scenes add to both Max and the wild things.
This is a true marvel of a film that consistently pulls on heartstrings. This is a wonderfully shot, tremendously acted and terribly passionate feast that will undoubtedly go down as an essential classic. It’s a film that is only lovable.
10 out of 10
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