DVD reviews
The Box
Despite a poor premise, this film is an intriguing affair abound with strange details
Like Stars On Earth
Bollywood take on a serious issue reaps morally and musically sound result.
Fighting
"As an action film, Fighting pulls fewer punches than its name may suggest."
Drag Me To Hell
"...throws you around when you least expect it..."
search the site
newsletter
Enter your email address below to receive the weekly Filmink newsletter
Mary & Max (DVD)
Year: 2009
Rating: PG
Director: Adam Elliot
Cast: Eric Bana, Toni Collette, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Release Date: November 06, 2009
Distributor: Icon
The Film: 4.5
The Disc: 4.0
Adam Elliot's claymation neo-classic has translated exquisitely well to the small screen. Perhaps this is because Mary And Max is driven by character and narrative - its visuals may be singular and sublime, but there's more to this film than that. Max (voiced by Philip Seymour Hoffman) is based on Elliot's real life pen-friend, and like the writer/director's pen-pal, the claymated New Yorker Max Horowitz has Asperger's syndrome.
In 1976, Max becomes the accidental long-distance friend of an eight-year-old Melbournite, Mary Daisy Dinkle (Bethany Whitmore as little Mary; Toni Collette as her adult counterpart), and it's a pen-friendship that will span some twenty years. Mary and Max are worlds apart, but they're both outsiders, united in their isolation. Despite the distance, their lives intersect, and the adult Mary's actions have a profound effect on Max.
Switching between monochrome New York and the more colourful suburban Melbourne, Mary And Max is superbly narrated by Barry Humphries. As Max, Hoffman inhabits this weary, overweight, likeable character, while Renee Geyer, Eric Bana, Whitmore and Collette all get inside their characters' respective skins.
Made-for-adults, this dramatic and often funny film succeeds on every level, and the secrets of its brilliance are revealed on the bountiful DVD extras. A series of silent, time-lapse short videos go behind-the-scenes to show the building of the sets and the animators at work. They're so amazing as to warrant their own review - suffice to say, these speedy videos are enlightening, with the animators sneaking in some antics for our benefit (the "step" or slow motion buttons of your DVD remote will help to reveal even more!). The brief deleted segments - also silent - are not the pick of the extras, but a selection of "webisodes" - including a hilarious "interview" with Bana - are wonderful. The webisodes, however, are made to amuse, not to inform. To learn about the nitty gritty of production, turn to Elliot's entertaining audio commentary. It's here that the self-confessed "control freak" lets us in on the secrets. His insistence on authenticity - there's no CGI, and everything you see is hand-crafted - is perhaps the main reason that the film is so extraordinary. It's a fine extras package indeed that complements a genuinely unique film.