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Such a frustrating disappointment

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Admirable film.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

What a beautiful, haunting and profound film. It's about a boy whose mother is dying (his mother is separated from his father, who now lives abroad). The boy is visited at night by a monster in the form a of a large tree growing within sight of his house, who on each visit tells him one of three stories; he says on the final visit the boy must tell him a story which must be true. It's as simple as that - yet utterly beautiful and moving. Each of the stories is told as wonderfully stylised piece of animation (the rest of the film is live action); the rest of the action narrates the relationships between the boy, his mother, his father and grandmother, as well as the boy's problems at school. It made me think of so much - the effect of loss and trauma on a young life, and how much my precious foster children have lost in so little time, and the creative steps they have to take to cope the loss. It made me think of my own losses, and how I live with them, deal with them and create a life that tries to encompass them and somehow grow through them. And it made me think of my own failings as a son and a father. It's one of the most moving films I've seen in years, directed with great power and economy, performed with lovely understatement that is allowed to cut loose at crucial moments. Highly recommended.

Incredibly sad movie, but an amazing portrail of how a child actually feels when faced with death.

This was a outstanding movie,I have zero clue why this movie was not nominated at Oscars.First of all,Its tells life of a little kid who was alone and her mother was seriosuly ill,and guy was helpless and tree came to his aid out of nowhere.Why would they call him monster is also another mystery to meIn his nightmare's he saw that her mother tumble down the cliff in a graveyard.Towards to end of the movie he did see that her mother dies in dream.When her mother finally dies tree was behind him , and later on same tree was his mother's friend as she send off her father's to his death.We didnt see that Liam Neelson's acting but his voice made this movie amazing.

A MONSTER CALLS is another film centred around the folklore figure of the 'tree man' already thoroughly explored in everything from GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY to LORD OF THE RINGS and THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA. This time around he's a friendly creature who visits a mixed-up young boy to tell him stories in the dead of night. It turns out the kid's mother is dying of cancer, so the tree man is there to help him cope and grieve. Yeah, it's a rather cynical film that goes for the obvious approach throughout, but merely comes across as depressing. The actors fail to really get into their roles and a miscast Sigourney Weaver and her off-putting British accent don't help, although Toby Kebbell comes across well as always. The tree man scenes go overboard on the CGI and Liam Neeson merely reprises his Aslan role with a voice full of gravity. I found the whole thing hugely predictable, copying the likes of THE BFG somewhat shamelessly, and imparting a message that would take 10 minutes tops to film.