Wonderful, heart-warming, thought-provoking movie

Rating: 9/10 (8 October 2015)

Wonderful, heart-warming, thought-provoking movie.
It's 1976. Mary is an eight year old girl living in Melbourne. Her mother is an alcoholic (and a mean one at that) and her father is...distant. Nothing seems to be going right. Then she randomly writes to a stranger in New York, Max, and they become pen-pals. What follows is a wonderful friendship and journey...
Great movie with incredible warmth and depth. Sensitively explores subjects like depression, Asperger's Syndrome (and mental illness in general), loneliness and friendship. All this while delivering some sharp, often dark, humour. Not unnecessarily politically correct either - I'm sure there's enough in the movie to offend the humourless, dial-a-complaint crowd. Quite real and gritty.
Great, original animation. However, don't be fooled by the animation - this is certainly not a kid's movie. While it may seem suitable for kids initially, it explores some very dark themes towards the end.
Good voice casting too, with Toni Collette as Mary, Philip Seymour Hoffman as Max and narration by Barry Humphries plus a supporting cast that includes Eric Bana.
Superb.