Animation at its very best.

Rating: 9/10 (13 September 2010)

Take one disillusioned Australian child called Mary and one mentally deficient New York adult called Max add to that a script that manages to be poignant, humorous and moving all at the same time and animate it as if Robert Crumb worked for Aardman making Wallace and Gromit for adults and you have 'Mary and Max'. A film so special and made with so much care and attention that not only is it one of my films of the year it has instantly become one of my favourite films of all time. Its not very often you feel such a strong attachment to characters in a film that spending an hour and half with them just isn't enough, its even stranger when they are not even real. But in that is where the genius of this film shines through, by taking two opposite ends of the spectrum on two opposite sides of the world it shows that space, age, distance and time actually don't make us all that different and problems are problems no matter who or where you are. In the accidental blossoming of their pen pal friendship the two main characters teach each other so much and show us the viewer the powerful nature of the human spirit. Bursting with ideas and an attention to detail that even extends to the colouring you can't fail to fall in love with this movie. In a sea of blockbuster dirge it's amazing to actually see a film this good could make it to the surface, my advice if you see one film this year make it this one, you will not be disappointed.