Wild Things, You Make My Heart Sing

To celebrate my 29th birthday yesterday, my husband and I experienced Spike Jonez's beautiful interpretation of Where the Wild Things Are. Of course this has been a long awaited event since in the early days of the usual summer box office bonanza when we caught our first glimpse in a preview. From that point on tears coated our eyes every time a promotion for the film aired on television.
When a movie of this magnitude is released, I try to avoid any type of reviews because I do not want anything to mar my own opinion of the film. Unfortunately, I was forced to make an exception in this case because I accidentally caught a couple of seconds worth of opinion on NPR in my husband's car (not a station I choose to listen to personally because it bores me). The review was negative, so I balanced it out by reading the linked article in this blog. I am very glad that I did.
The movie is a leap into the psyche of a child, but then again so is the book. The problem is that many people never think beyond Max's brief stint with the Wild Things and their notorious "rumpus" before longing to be back home with a warm supper. However, on a subconscious level what we are being told as children is that releasing our Wild Things every now and then is okay if we learn how to tame them (even if it is only temporary). As an adult I find myself occasionally wanting to cause "mischief of one kind or another" when I am frustrated or hurt or angry. But because I had Max as a child, I learned that there are healthy ways to "rumpus" without causing serious destruction.
Jonez takes all of this about the book and forays it to the screen flawlessly. The cinematography is stunning, and the choice to make the Wild Things "real" is the right one. Regardless of the slightly terrifying aspects of the Wild Things I still could not help but fall in love with them. My own cynicism and devious self doubt that often dances around when I want to try something new will now be crowned my "Judith moments."
Would I recommend this movie to my friends and family? Only if they understand a few things: 1. I do not believe this to be a children's movie. It may have been packaged that way, but many younger children may become bored with the pacing of the film 2. Expect to see an "artsy" film. This is cinematic art. Whatever notions a person might have before need to be set aside if they do not include going to see an artistic movie 3. A person will either be in love with the movie or hate it completely. I do not believe there will be much gray area where a person would think it is an alright movie. (Actually, I've been joking that the only people who don't like the film do not have either the intellect or inclination to want to experience the deeper levels. But really, that is partly true.)

Definitely read the linked article before seeing the film. Although the idea that we are looking into Max's psyche is pretty obvious, Mary Pols does a wonderful job of describing what to expect when walking into the theater.


<i>Where the Wild Things Are</i>: Sendak with Sensitivity