You know, one of the reasons why many grown-ups still enjoy cartoons is how they silence your mind. That was not the case with Mary and Max. This stop motion pulled my emotions in something I did not expect from an animation. It’s the way the story is stitched together from beginning to end that every single detail is a layer in the story. trigger warning, though, it has elements of suicide, alcoholism, bullying, mental health, loneliness, and human connection.
Australia, Mary and Max is an Australian tragic-comedy stop motion that explores the deep, complex friendship between two unlikely pen pals over 20 years between Mary Daisy Dinkle, a lonely 8-year-old in Australia, and Max Jerry Horovitz, a 44-year-old, severely obese, lonely Jewish man in New York. the story begins when Mary randomly picks Max’s name from a new york phone book and decides to write to him asking where babies come from.
You grow with Mary, who incorrectly used homophobia instead of agoraphobia to describe a neighbour, and with Max’s journey in and out of a mental institute. My heart broke for Max, all through out, he was just a little boy in an old man’s body. a boy whose number one dream was to make a friend, to own a lifetime supply of chocolate, and to own the entire collection of the Noblets figurines. The innocence in letters and how a 44-year-old can emotionally connect with an 8-year-old is the film’s center. their pen pal long distance bond, life struggles, falling out, and forgiveness, and the most beautiful scene to me, which was their final meeting.
Special spotlight to Adam Eliot, who was both the director and writer of this beautiful piece. He gave us exactly what he must have been envisioning. In one of his interviews, he said the script was based on his 20-year friendship with a pen pal from New York, which must have been a beautiful bond.
I definitely recommend this to everyone. This animation deserves to be seen by everyone, though I think you should keep it away from little curious minds because the themes explored here will raise questions you’re not ready to answer.
