Tragedy & Claymation do not mix well.

Rating: 7/10 (16 March 2010)

In essence the movie is about Mary a young girl with a cruel life becoming a penpal to Max a middle age man with diagnosed aspergers. In a movie like this you would expect there to be some kind of resolution, some glimpse of hope but the film just seems to get worse and worse. Tragedy after tragedy befall the hopeless pair. Even brief glimpses of happiness are marred by tragedy until in the end we are left with only tears, death and the half hearted sentiment that friendship no matter how intangible is maybe enough to salve deep scarring wounds.
To put it bluntly this movie is a downer. I think that the subject matter may not be suitable to claymation. Claymation usually offers something distracting, madcap, surreal.... but tragic? It's like the forms do not mix very well. It's as if it is a lie or somehow betraying the truth.
I do not dislike the film, it is unique and extremely well crafted I just feel like maybe the next one will be better.