STUDENT NAME: LHS

ITEM NAME AND TYPE: Mary and Max (audiovisual, clay-animated film)
SOURCE AND DATE: Icon Entertainment International, 2009 (Directed by Adam Elliot)
MICROSUMMARY:
Mary and Max follows the pen friend correspondence between an awkward Australian girl and an
American man suffering from Aspergers syndrome. In their respective everyday lives, they are
misunderstood characters who are ostracised. However, despite their eccentricities, they forge a strong
lifetime friendship and gain solace through their continuing correspondence.
FEATURES OF TEXT AND RELEVANCE TO CONCEPTS OF BELONGING:
An omniscient narrator gives voice to both Mary and Max. Marys worldview is that of a child and Maxs is
shaped by his disability. Their shared naivety and incomprehension of their harsh treatment by others
serves to evoke pathos. This sympathy is further garnered by the directors use of stream of
consciousness technique, laying bare the characters feelings of distress and isolation. Additionally, the
use of clay animation allows the composer to explore themes that would otherwise be overly confronting,
for example, Marys suicide attempt, which was an adverse consequence of her social rejection.
Maxs disaffection with his environment is expressed visually and through diegetic sound. New York is
shown in gritty black and white, reflecting Maxs literal interpretation of his surrounds, but also his
feelings of depression. The soft focus of the camera, combined with a dissonant soundtrack, highlights
Maxs anxieties, his distance from others and his detachment from both the physical and social landscape
of the city. The only coloured objects in Maxs world are received from Mary; this is representative of the
emotional connection he feels to her. The outside view from Maxs apartment is often static, however it
animates when he writes to Mary. Birds fly past his window, symbolising that the typewriter provides
freedom for Max to transcend his communication difficulties and isolation.
A motif of food is employed to explain the vital human need for companionship. When Max feels anxious,
he eats to try to compensate his emotional void. Chocolate was always enclosed with both characters
letters, an archetypal comfort food. Emotions are frequently conveyed using food imagery such as the
simile, ...drank his words like a bowl of alphabet soup.... This is extended by the narrators description
that each of the protagonists nourished the other through their correspondence. By employing this
motif, the film asserts that emotional reciprocity is as imperative as food for an individuals wellbeing.
The overarching message of the film is that one must have self-acceptance before being able to
meaningfully engage with others. A heart shaped candy inscribed with Love Yourself First is sent
between the characters to symbolically portray this message, after Max is told true friendship is seen
through the heart, not through the eyes. This affirms that if you manipulate yourself to gain approval,
your relationships will be superficial. Mary and Maxs friendship is significant as they have accepted
themselves and each other fully.