WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

When the title "Where the Wild Things Are" comes to mind, it triggers memories of a beloved children's book about a boy sent to his room for not wanting to eat dinner and then goes to a far off land to party with furry animals. What it does not trigger is a story about a boy who cannot handle his mother moving on after a divorce with another man, or about his estranged relationship with his big sister. Ironically, this is exactly what Spike Jonze's "Where the Wild Things Are" is about.

The film, as adapted by Jonze and David Eggers from Maurice Sendak's classic, is a step forward in the family film genre. Instead of giving a clear explanation as too how the main character, Max, gets to the island of the wild things, it lets the audience decide. It can be easily assumed that the island and "wild things" are all in his imagination, but why did he go there in the first place?

The first twenty minutes of the film might be the most emotionally intense ever filmed for a "children's" movie (which it is anything but). We learn that 9 year old Max is jealous of his mom's new boyfriend, and of his sister hanging out with boys more and neglecting him. Max Records, who plays Max, gives the most heartfelt performance of any child actor I have ever seen. He is Max, he is not portraying him on screen, the audience is just seeing his life unfold in the theater.

When Max starts throwing snowballs at his sister's friends, they throw some back playfully and Max hides in his igloo made from fresh fallen snow. When the boys destroy the igloo with Max inside however, he emerges from his fallen fort crying his eyes out while his sister leaves with the boys. This very real scene is countered by one in which Max refuses to eat his dinner because his mom's new boyfriend is going to eat with him too (played by Mark Ruffalo). Max runs away from his house and "travels" to the island where the wild things are.

The island is a metaphor for Max's troubles, with each wild thing representing a different part of Max's life. The first thing shown is Carol (the lead wild thing) destroying another wild thing's house. This is clearly a metaphor for when Max's igloo was destroyed. The rest of the movie is packed with metaphors and motifs, expertly written and created by Jonze and Eggers.

Jonze's adaptation has divided people into enjoying the movie or not. Some are displeased at the darkness of the film, others are intrigued by it. I am in the latter category. The script is written amazingly well, and perfectly executed by Jonze on the directing side. The special effects are a wonder and the wild things seem alive the entire movie and never look fake once. The set design for the fort Max and the wild things build and their camp are exquisitely done as well. The best technical aspect of the film is the cinematography though. The movie is mostly filmed with the handheld/ documentary style which is very effective in the real world parts of the film, and even more effective in Max's imagination. The movie never loses its realism, and it would not work if it did.

Record's performance as Max, as well as the voice acting for the wild things are perfect as well, and you see throughout the movie how each voice/thing is a part of Max's personality. Jonze's expert direction reveals this slowly, and as the wild things are further explored, it is shown that they aren't the nicest people either. Max discovers this just in time to realize his own fault too.

"Where the Wild Things Are" is about growing up and maturing to the situation that is dealt. Max has to do this faster than lots of other kids his age, and the only way he can is by delving into the deepest corners of himself (represented by the island). This is the only way he will learn his lesson.

This is quite possibly the best film of the year, I cannot find one thing wrong to write down. The film can be analyzed for days on end, and that's the utter beauty of it. Or it can just be entertaining, but an open mind is the best way to approach this movie because this is a drama, not a child or family film. This should be a serious contender for all Oscars, including Picture, Director, and Adapted Screenplay.

Verdict: GO SEE IT!

*****/***** (5/5 stars)