Every Saturday night on WrongPlanet.net, a discussion will ensue about a selected autism-related film. Please, take care to avoid spoilers (or, at least, flag them) to prevent potential viewers from learning too much about the story in advance of their viewing. Tonight’s selected film is:
Mary and Max (92 minutes), a 2009 Australian animated, black comedy-drama film written and directed by Adam Elliot. The film uses the world of clay animation to present a simple tale of the innocent correspondence between a portly eight-year-old girl from the suburbs of Melbourne and a morbidly obese, middle-aged Jewish New Yorker with Asperger syndrome. On the surface, it would seem that Mary (Toni Collette) and Max (Philip Seymour Hoffman) would have little in common, but, over the course of 20 years, the unlikely pen pals exchange letters discussing just about any topic that comes to mind as they sit down and put pen to paper. The DVD and Blu-ray versions of the film were released in 2010. Scenes from the film are available for viewing on YouTube under the search term Mary and Max.
This somewhat dystopic film uses humor to portray the lives of two strangers where autism becomes a shared interest between them. The loyal friendship and love between them overcomes distance, time and misunderstanding to bring them together.
If you have viewed this film, what are your opinions about it?
11 Jun 2016, 9:30 am
