A Monster Calls
US release date: December 23rd, 2016
UK release date: January 1st, 2017
What is it? A dramatic fantasy tale in which the young boy of a single mother finds a way to deal with his mother’s terminal illness, by summoning a tree monster.
Who made it? The film adaptation is directed by J.A. Bayona (The Impossible), from a script by Patrick Ness (Class). Ness adapted his own novel, which came from an original idea by the late Siobhan Dowd.
Who’s in it? Lewis MacDougall, Felicity Jones, Sigourney Weaver, Toby Kebbell, Geraldine Chaplin, Liam Neeson.
What do we think? Of the films released this Christmas season, A Monster Calls is perhaps the movie most likely to have us weeping throughout, if the trailers are any indication. The depiction of an isolated young boy finding comfort and, most significantly, courage within – with the help of his imagined tree monster – is guaranteed to be deeply moving, not least because J.A. Bayona is at the helm.