Where the Wild Things Are

Where the Wild Things Are grabs hold of Maurice Sendak’s legendary book and squeezes it for every ounce of subtext that it can find. I mean, how the heck else to you make a feature film based on a book containing no more than 338 words? The thing is, while Spike Jonze and David Eggers are mining for subtext, they made the decision to riddle the film itself with enough subtext to survive at least 3 or 4 watchings. So much is going on in every scene that I’m convinced that not a single scene was actually about what I was witnessing. That’s a good thing though, it contributes to the overpowering sense of wonder and possibility that the film floats on.

About that sense of wonder, Spike definitely delivers a film infused with emotions bottled since childhood. The opening chase sequence, where Max terrorizes his dog might even disturb audiences in another context, but it grabbed me and turned me back into my 8 year whirling terror self – it was so easy to identify with Max’s expressions of frustration, mayhem and mischief because Spike put them up on screen in such an unfiltered and raw fashion. If by some cruel twist of fate you’ve forgotten what it was like to be a kid, Mr. Jonze gives you a firm reminder.

I might be the only one who thought that this movie could have been aimed at children, but the ad campaign and the trailers running before the film really gave me that impression, but this film is definitely not for kids. There’s some madness and mayhem, but the emotional stuff that’s going on runs deep. The terrible sadness that the Wild Things abide by on their island seeps into everything – it was such a strange experience trying to reconcile a film about a book about unconditional love having such a dark sense of foreboding – this impending doom hanging over Max’s head. But, just like in the book, the wild rumpus must eventually come to an end, along with what we can observe on screen (and all of that subtext as well) must wrap itself up so Max can finally enjoy his supper.

The Verdict: This was not at all what I expected, but its emotional impact is undeniable. This will definitely not be the last time I see this film. If the book still resonates with you at all, get yourself to your local movie theatre and soak it in.