Honest and True

Rating: Null/10 (30 July 2010)

Mary and Max is one of the darkest animated films I have ever seen. It deals with certain issues that are rarely dealt with in films, let alone animated ones. This is certainly not a kid's film, but it is a learning film. It tells the story of a lonely girl named Mary who lives with her problematic parents and who creates a friendship with a man named Max who lives across the world from her. The writing is incredible and it gives us so much insight into each of these characters' worlds. Thanks to the narration and the visually-amazing stop-motion animation, we are able to care deeply for these characters. By the time the final 30 minutes roll around, it begins to get darker and more sinister, simply because it shows us that it is the way the world gets as you grow up. The ending is very, very sad, but it rings a chord in every viewers' hearts I am sure.
All in all, this is an honest and very true animated film about the life of two uncertain people. It is better than most animated films hope to be, and it is better than Pixar's Up. See this film, but not simply for entertainment or humor because you will get more than what you bargained for.