Moving and quirky adult animation movie

Rating: 10/10 (17 March 2011)

A wonderful Australian independent plasticine movie that tells the story of a life-long mail relationship between an autistic old Jew Newyorker and a weird Australian girl.
This is not a movie for children as it touches subjects that are complex and could be disturbing or difficult to explain to a child (alcoholism, social failure, mental disorder, bullying, death, homosexuality, suicide, etc.), the same elements that make this movie a wonder for adults. It is mostly a sad story about social maladjustment, but also the story of a long wonderful -and sometimes troublesome- friendship.
The aesthetics and atmosphere of the film are wonderful, as so is the music. The main characters Max & Mary are really unforgettable and lovable, and also lovely the secondary ones. Especially funny are the animal characters, both pets and urban animals, which behave like animals but are very humorous. Moreover, there are so many little details and humorous winks to the spectator, that is just a pure joy to watch.
What makes this movie so special is the story told and the selection of marginal characters, who are presented in a normal accepting way. They are "weirdos", unglamorous suburban people, with mental and social problems who are wonderful because they are imperfect and human. The movie is full of emotion an the viewer feels moved and connected to Mary & Max almost immediately, and feels their failures, successes and worries as if they were not plasticine puppets.
Three things would have improved the film enormously. In first place, although plasticine animation and shooting is very time-consuming and hand-crafted, a little bit more of lightness in the movement of the puppets, and a little bit more of definition in their facial expressions would have improved the look and feeling of the film. In the second place, there is too much narration in second person in the film, while most of the characters' speech is very limited. Finally, and directly related to the second, is the third person narration, not only too much of it, but also done by the wrong person (Barry Humphreis) and in the wrong tone, which I consider confusing and emotionally misleading as this is not a movie targeted to children at all. It would have been great that part of the narration was actually incorporated into the animation and turned into dialogs and "acting" and presented in a less fable-before-bed-ish story narration.
Said so, I think is a terrific animation film, whose story moved me immensely. It was a hit at Sundance.