Directed by Spike Jonze, ‘Where The Wild Things Are’ is a beautiful adventure. Based on the popular 1960′s children’s picture book by Maurice Sendak, this film takes us through the inner-workings of a child’s mind with breathtaking cinematography that stays true to the book.
Max, played by Max Records, is an imaginative boy who like most children his age has very little understanding or control of his emotions.
Records performance was nothing short of fantastic. He encompassed the spirit of childhood with amazing control over his performance. At only 12 years old I am confident that he will make a place for himself among the Hollywood hotshots by the time he is 18.
It is obvious right away that Max has very complicated things going on in his life and that the only way he knows how to deal with them is to act out and fight for attention.
It is revealed later on that the issues he is dealing with stem from the underlying theme of an absentee father (at least this is what I got out of it. It is open for interpretation).The reason for the absence of Max’s father is never revealed in the story. It is only through subtle imagery that we even learn Max is struggling with the loss.
Coming from a broken home myself I could relate to this character very well. Trying to understand at such a young age how a parent can leave their family is one of the most painful experiences a child can go through. The empty feeling in your stomach while all sorts of questions you can’t answer run through your head over and over until all you can do is curl up into a ball and cry can make even the most angelic children behave like little devils.
When things begin to pile up for Max at home he puts on his wolf costume, goes out of control biting his mother like an animal, and runs away howling at the neighborhood dogs. He runs through the woods and comes across a small abandoned sail boat. His journey begins here when he sets off to sea and comes across an unknown island.
On this island he meets The Wild Things; a group of bizarre creatures with very distinguishable personalities. The Wild Things “nurture childlike ambition and grudges, ” says Kirk Honeycutt of hollywoodreporter.com. Each one represents a different part of Max’s emotions and behaviors in a way that is meant to be eye opening to the character. Helping him come to understanding that his behavior can be hurtful to the ones he loves.
The creation of these characters was so on point it was almost as if they popped right off the pages of the book. Seeing these images from my childhood come to life on the big screen was magical.
It is all of these elements that made me enjoy the film; the hidden complexity of the story and the beautifully constructed scenes and characters.
It faults only with it’s length. Honeycutt points out that taking a 20 page book mostly made up of pictures “does not immediately suggest a feature film adaptation.” Though captivating visuals kept me interested the movie begins to feel a bit long about 40 minutes in.
If you bring your kids they may get antsy since the captivating message of the story is written in away that will most likely fly over their heads leaving only Max’s adventure to entertain them for 102 minutes. Despite this flaw the film warmed my heart leaving me with tears in my eyes.
I recommend this film to anyone who has fond memories of the story from childhood as well as anyone who can relate to the struggles of loneliness that some children unfortunately must endure at too young an age, but that’s just my opinion.
Hayley Smorczeski
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