Have you ever dreamt of having a foreign pen-pal ?
In the seventies, Mary Daisy Dinkle, an Australian 8-year-old girl with a birthmark the colour of poo, would like a real friend who isn't made out of seashells or chicken bones and also would like to know where do babies come from in America as she already knows that in Australia they come from beers as her grandpoppy Ralph told her. One day while shopping with her mother she finds a New York phone book. She picks a name, totally at random and decides she will write to this person. Mary starts her letter. Fortunately he will answer and tell about his life : the friendship of Mary and Max begins.
Her fortune pen-pal is named Max Jerry Horowitz. He is an atheistic Jewish in his forties. Over-weighed, he suffers from the Asperger's Syndrome and a goldfish named Henry VIII – of course, many Henrys will live with Max. Finally, he is affected with an addiction to chocolate hot-dogs (a recipe of his own). He wants a friend who isn't invisible as his sits in the corner of the apartment reading books.
Contrary to Max who is single and alone in a huge city, Mary is rather surrounded : she has an alcoholic kleptomaniac mother, a distant taxidermist father or an agoraphobic old legless neighbour in a wheel-chair.
Mary and Max's friendship will last for twenty years and won't be free from difficulties especially on the part of Max, stressed and confused by each letter Mary sends him which reminds him of periods or events he wishes to forget. Two significant parts of the movie will coincide with the committal of Max for 8 months and the attempt from Mary to help Max and his Asperger Syndrome by a book that will turn to be catastrophic in their relationship, introducing the suicide and depression themes.
Mary as an adult is played by the Australian Toni « Muriel » Colette (from PJ Hogan's Muriel's Wedding) and Max by the Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman (Truman Capote). To add to the Australian spirit of the film, Eric Bana (Troy, Hulk) plays Mary's husband to be Damian.
The Australian Oscar Winner for Best Short Animated Film Adam Elliot wrote and directed this animated film made with modeling clay with some astounding details. Mary and Max deals with various subjects such as friendship, suicide attempt, love, the Asperger's Syndrome or the gap between NYC and Australia. Just a simple reminder concerning the former : people affected by this syndrome show disorders such as significant difficulties in social interaction.
All in all Mary and Max uses an apparently light way to depict some serious subjects. Indeed, I say apparently because you will not take your little girl or your nephew to see it ! It is full of grey, of brown and that is not likely to please children. No, this movie is aimed at an adult public which may even be disturbed by a few scenes, and yet it involves parts that are funny and sweet. Moreover, the clay seems to attenuate what is happening and thus adds another dimension to the movie. If it were not in clay, the story and the direction would be very dark and disturbing.
Now animation is more and more chosen to deal with serious subject matters as in $9,99, another Australian clay-movie whose subject is the meaning of life.
