Where the Wild Things Are / Wo die wilden Kerle wohnen (2009)

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Where the Wild Things Are / Wo die wilden Kerle wohnen (2009)

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A young boy named Max has an active imagination, and he will throw fits if others don't go along with what he wants. Max - following an incident with Claire (his sister) and her friends, and following a tantrum which he throws as a result of his Mother paying more attention to her boyfriend than to him - runs away from home. Wearing his wolf costume at the time, Max not only runs away physically, but runs toward a world in his imagination. This world, an ocean away, is inhabited by large wild beasts, including one named Carol who is much like Max himself in temperament. Instead of eating Max like they normally would with creatures of his type, the wild things befriend Max after he proclaims himself a king who can magically solve all their problems.

Max ist ein Kind voller Wut und unkontrollierter Impulse, und doch eine sensitive Seele, die sich allein gelassen fuhlt. Nach einem Streit mit seiner gutmutigen, aber uberforderten Mutter fluchtet er in eine Traumwelt - auf eine Insel mit monstrose wirkenden, im Grunde aber kindlichen Kreaturen, die den wilden Jungen als Konig akzeptieren. Einige Tage lebt und tollt Max mit den neuen Freunden, bis es auch hier zu Enttauschungen und Streit kommt. Doch Max wei?, dass jemand auf ihn wartet, der ihn immer lieben wird. Bedingungslos.

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Where the Wild Things Are / Wo die wilden Kerle wohnen (2009)

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Having been rejected by his older sister (Pepita Emmerichs), unsettled by the presence of his mother's new boyfriend (Mark Ruffalo), and scolded by his distraught mother (Catherine Keener, incredibly effective in a small but crucial role), a defiant young boy named Max (first-time actor Max Records) runs away from home, the tattered tail of his white-wool wolf suit disappearing into the darkness of the chilly night air. Climbing into a private boat near the water, Max sets sail, in and out of weeks, and almost over a year, to where the wild things are. Spotting a roaring fire in the forests of a rocky island, Max pulls his boat ashore and makes his way toward the distant light. There he sees a band of monsters arguing, pacing back and forth as one of their own tears apart their huts. Bravely introducing himself to the carnivorous beasts, and instantly gaining the favor of the most temperamental creature among them, Carol (voiced by James Gandolfini), Max weaves a tale of Viking adventures and kingship, tells them he has supernatural powers, and claims he can prevent sadness from ever entering their midst again; lies so alluring that the monsters give him a crown and scepter, and declare him king of all wild things.

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Where the Wild Things Are / Wo die wilden Kerle wohnen (2009)

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At first, the lumbering monstrosities no-nonsense agitator Judith (Catherine O'Hara), her gentle boyfriend Ira (Forest Whitaker), avian peace-keeper Douglas (Chris Cooper), timid horned-goat Alexander (Paul Dano), sweet-spirited wanderer KW (Lauren Ambrose), and introspective giant Bernard the Bull (Michael Berry Jr) are overjoyed by the boy's presence, particularly when he rejuvenates their relationships. But they soon begin to realize Max is failing to maintain the peace among their ranks. Carol loves KW, but frequently allows his temper to get the best of him; Judith complains about everything, including each of Max's decisions; Alexander continually feels overlooked and ignored; Bernard has trouble trusting anyone; KW has found new friends elsewhere on the island; and Douglas is finding diplomacy to be increasingly difficult. It doesn't take long to see where Jonze is going. The creatures are complex incarnations of Max's fears and doubts; manifestations of the arguments he's overheard, a divorce he couldn't mend, dismissals he's felt, emotions he can't seem to resolve, and other abstract pressures of a nine-year-old life already teetering on the edge of inescapable sorrow. Carol is his boiling rage, his absentee father, his misunderstanding of his parents' separation, his unwillingness to let go. KW is his noble defender, his doting mother, his fledgling hope, his secret counsel. The other creatures slip in and out of various roles as well: Max's sister, her unruly friends, his classmates, his family and, more importantly, his dreams, desires, and needs.

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Where the Wild Things Are / Wo die wilden Kerle wohnen (2009)

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Pint-sized cinephiles at least those who can endure Jonze's sometimes frightening imagery and intense encounters (parents with little children should screen this one long before watching it with their entire family) won't need to understand the film's finer points to enjoy it. For them, the story of a boy who spends time with a pack of rowdy monsters will be entertaining enough. Yes, Jonze's slowburn pacing and deeper themes may bore them on occasion, but dirt fights, squawking owls, and forest games constantly lie in wait around the corner. Meanwhile, adults (whether they have kids or not) will quickly discover Where the Wild Things Are is a different beast entirely. Analytical minds will latch onto every line and expression, stone hearts will be broken, Lance Acord's gorgeous cinematography will enchant the most discerning viewers, Carter Burwell and Karen Orzolek's music will burrow into the brain of anyone willing to listen, and the actors' staggering performances (especially that of little Max Records) will leave a number of lasting marks. Even the film's special effects, a wondrous blend of practical costumes and set pieces brought to vivid life with fantastic CG-enhanced touches, will draw filmfans deeper and deeper into Max's splintered psyche. Records doesn't clutch a computer-generated arm, he clings to real fur, trembles at the sight of real claws, and locks eyes with seemingly real creatures. His belief becomes our belief, his affection becomes our affection.

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Where the Wild Things Are / Wo die wilden Kerle wohnen (2009)

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More than anything though, Jonze and co-writer Dave Eggers accomplish the one thing so many others have failed to do: expanding something as simple as a 338-word children's book into a dynamic, captivating tale of anguish and woe. Somehow the pair retain the heart and soul of Sendak's text while creating a story all their own. Somehow they take the pieces of a sketchy riddle and give it meaning and relevance. Somehow they translate the author's artwork into a disquieting reality; his fable of forests and monsters into a nuanced island of terrible truths and cathartic revelations; his trailing poetry and unforgettable drawings into a fragile fortress built upon the inspiration of a wounded boy. That being said, I can't speak for everyone. I've read reviews as impassioned as mine, and still others that loathed the film's forsaken desert plains and daunting subtext. I've read comments from parents whose children were enamored with Max and his newfound friends, and others whose offspring were bored to tears rather than moved to them. Ah well, perhaps simply calling the film divisive will suffice. Regardless of what some might think, Where the Wild Things Are struck me as a magnificent masterstroke; one everyone should experience and judge for themselves. Again, I wouldn't recommend blindly showing it to young children even my son, who's made of some stoic cinematic stuff, had a bit of trouble with a few scenes but I also don't think parents should shelter their kids from such conversation-inducing subject matter. Personally, I hope to revisit it again, and then again and again, the moment the opportunity presents itself.

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown (blu-ray.com)