Mary and Max (2009)

Based on a true story Mary & Max is a clay animated tale of friendship between two unlikely pen pals, a lonely eight year old girl and an obese forty-four year old man. Despite dealing with themes such as childhood neglect, teasing, loneliness, autism, obesity, depression and anxiety this film remains cheerful and extremely funny.

“An absolute triumph: hilarious and deeply affecting”

Nick Bond, Film Critic

Director: Adam Elliot

Stars: Toni Collette and Eric Bana

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgRjB8PEDkM

About the True Story:

Max is based on a real penfriend in New York, who Director Adam Elliot had been writing to for over 20 years. He had inspired Elliot to write the script, he’s got Asperger’s, he’s Jewish and he’s in Overeaters Anonymous. Elliot and his American correspondent have never met.

Philip Seymour Hoffman [who voices Max] lives just down the road from his the real life 'Max' in New York, which is bizarre. 

While the character of Max remains relatively similar to his real-life counterpart, Elliot created the character of Mary as his penfriend. However, he admitted there’s more than a little of himself in her. Mary is the gay character, even though she’s not actually gay.  Elliot sees his artistic attraction to the marginalised as a direct result of his own sexuality.

"I called her Mary for a reason! It really is a very gay film-¦ it’s about people who are marginalised and different, I’ve realised that I’m actually an angry writer. It’s all about injustice. I don’t like seeing people persecuted or sidelined.There’s a line in the film where Max says not having Asperger’s would be -˜like changing the colour of my eyes’, which is a common gay expression. My sexuality is so ingrained in me, it’s hardwired into me, he said."

Adam Elliot, Director

About the Director:

Adam Elliot is an independent stop motion animation writer and director based in Melbourne, Australia. His five films have collectively participated in over six-hundred film festivals and have received over one hundred awards, including an Oscar for Harvie Krumpet and the Annecy Cristal for Mary and Max.

 Elliot calls himself an auteur filmmaker and each of his films have a bittersweet nature to them. Based loosely on his family and friends, Elliot calls each of his works a 'Clayography'  – clay animated biography. Utilising a large team of animators and modelmakers each film takes several years to complete. He is noted for his use of traditional 'in-camera' techniques, which means every prop set and character is a 'real' miniature handcrafted object. Elliot does not use digital additions or computer generated imagery to enhance his visual aesthetic. His company, Adam Elliot Pictures, produce the films and Elliot’s work practices adhere to the French auteur methodology.