Mary And Max

Mary And Max. It's...

it's kind of a Tear Jerker. It starts looking like a Black Comedy, but then it stops.

I'm not sure what I can say about this story. I opened this thread because I wanted to talk about it.

edited 9th Dec '12 3:33:32 PM by TheHandle

I saw Mary And Max. I loved it to bits.

I think the best way to describe this movie is a Black Dramedy. It pushes the envelope with it's dark humor, but when it needs to be serious, It damn well shows you it's serious.

The Que Sera Sera scene ranks up there high with one of the biggest Tear Jerkers in my personal viewing of movies. And the Bittersweet Ending is one of those rare times where I've cried tears of happiness when Mary notices that Max kept all her letters to him, and that he died looking at them.

Another thing I love about this movie is how it's so damn sincere with it's relationship between these two social outcasts and their lives. The whole relationship between Mary and Max is more sincere and engaging than a grand majority of romance movie protagonists.

I also like the visual syles they used. Like how New York City is depicted in Greyscale while Melbourne Suburbia is in Sepia.

Overall, Mary and Max is one of those rare gems of movies that tackle subjects that most movies don't touch with a 30 foot pole. Or, at least with the respect that this movie does.

edited 10th Dec '12 11:48:10 AM by PippingFool

You know, for some reason, I had this stereotype that all Australians were tough, adventuring types. I blame Crocodile Dundee and Saxton Hale. But, honestly,that suburb was so cozy and depressing I thought it was in London.

The narrative does a very good job of making someone, who by definition should be unrelatable, relatable.

But, honestly, I think Mary overreacted about the book.The plot was kind of silly there; couldn't she have asked for his permission beforehand? It only takes nine days for a letter to ravel from one to the other!

I think the whole point withe the book subplot was not so much the book itself, but the letter she sends to Max after the fact. How she mentions that she hopes Max could be cured of his Aspergers one day, which implies that she thinks it's akin to a disease. Keep in mind, earrlier on Max mentioned he liked being an aspie, which he sees as just being part of who he is, and he never wants to be cured. I think it was the letter mainly that caused him to break the M key and mail it to Mary

As for the book, Mary probably got caught up in her research and forgot to tell Max (which the movie implies). I know that feeling when I'm consumed by my project that I forget minor by major things.

Though I do agree that pulping her book and going into a spiral of manic depression was a slight overreaction of Mary's

(I like a movie that depicts Australian suburbia as Australian suburbia instead of some "mad as hell" outback shanty town filled with bushmen.)

edited 10th Dec '12 11:51:13 AM by PippingFool

Max doesn't want to be cured, but he does want to have an easier time dealing with people, doesn't he? So... "cure" might not be the word.

I guess that would make the whole thing an example of Poor Communication Kills. Had Mary used different wording, Max may not have been as so infuriated as he was.

edited 10th Dec '12 2:12:16 PM by PippingFool

Love this film. Main reason is actually because I have Asperger's, so I could understand Max quite well. It had its comedic moments, but yeah, it could get damn serious. Also liked how the visual style was either dull or monochrome most of the time - it made the film visually unique.

Yeah, I loved how realistic Max's Aspergers was played. As mentioned before, it's not too often that you see it being portrayed with the respect it's given here. Oftentimes I see it portrayed in a "disease" mannor, or the characters are god children with bad social skills. Niether of which make relatable characters.

Max, on the other hand, is a totally relatable character. And you can feel him and Mary get close to eachother over the years. Their relationship feels real.

edited 10th Dec '12 2:37:40 PM by PippingFool

Well, the social skills are bad.

One thing I've missed in this story is Frank talking about stuff other than his daily life. I especially wanted to hear about his love for Science Fiction, his shift to Atheism, his emigration from Israel to New York... What novels and shows did he like? Why? Also, you two seem to have a sense of humour, but while he seems able to smile in his brain, there's no indication that he ever laughed, which makes me curious.

Also, their world sucks. It's barely good enough to give them hopes that can be crushed in the first place, and to allow them to live on.

I like how Mary's husband cast himself as the good guy in his own story; rather realistic lover behavior, really. That she only found out he had left through the mail, with photos... She really didn't notice him leaving...

To be fair. It does show that since Mary got the M Key from Max, she was too depressed and sullen with herself to notice Damien drifting away and becoming detatched from her.

Great movie. Won't forget it.