Comments on: Where The Wild Things Are (2009) – Lost in Translation… With Muppets

By: Where the Wild Things are

Where the Wild Things are — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 19:28:40 +0000

[...] ; Wikipedia ; Metacritic ; Terrible Yellow Eyes (art inspired by the book) ; Dark Matters ; Ruthless Culture ; Salient Technorati links; if you’ve reviewed the film don’t forget to leave a comment [...]

By: Film Log For The Second Half of 2009 « Ruthless Culture

Film Log For The Second Half of 2009 « Ruthless Culture — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 15:33:53 +0000

[...] Where The Wild Things Are (2009) [Ruthless Culture] : Hmm. I enjoyed this as it was pretty but I felt as though motions were being gone through [...]

By: Athena Andreadis

Athena Andreadis — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 15:20:02 +0000

Jonathan, I agree. If you compare this to The Faun’s Labyrinth, comments become superfluous. The infantilization of US culture is entering a terminal stage.

By: White is for Linking « Torque Control

White is for Linking « Torque Control — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 10:33:06 +0000

[...] Jonathan McCalmont on Where the Wild Things Are: “Lost in Translation with Muppets“ [...]

By: Jonathan M

Jonathan M — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 16:45:17 +0000

The White Ribbon is aloof from beginning to end. It is also the product of a director who has form when it comes to pointedly refusing his audiences any kind of resolution.

In contrast, Where The Wild Things Are has no mystery. It’s obvious from the get-go what the film is about and the evasiveness of the ending is not only out of kilter with the rest of the film but also incredibly handy when it comes to avoiding a tricky plot dilemma.

…that and The White Ribbon is a much more enjoyable film to watch :-)

By: Martin

Martin — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 16:11:59 +0000

Why is it a cop-out? And linked to this, why is it a cop-out for Jonze and not for Haneke?

By: Niall

Niall — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:08:08 +0000

Well, as I say, I see it as a feature, not a bug.

By: Jonathan M

Jonathan M — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:06:55 +0000

It’s a cop out because the film’s desire to make the film more adult has created a plot problem. A problem it then refuses to solve one way or another.

By: Niall

Niall — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:43:00 +0000

Why is it a cop-out? It seems to me a more honest reflection of human nature — that we never stop growing up — than a pat resolution in either direction would be.

By: Jonathan M

Jonathan M — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:25:05 +0000

Martin — I’m not sure about that last scene. I think it says, in effect, nothing. It doesn’t suggest that Max has learned how to deal with people (if so why the yearning for parental authority) but nor does it suggest that he didn’t learn a thing from his time on the island. The film is silent and so it fails to resolve.

Niall — I agree with your point about Max not necessarily being able to process what he has learned as he is a child and the issues dealt with on the island are quite substantial. I think that that is why the film fails to resolve… it can’t suggest that Max has learned because that would be an adult reaction. But nor can it say that it’s back to the screaming and the misbehaving. So the film is effectively silent. Cop out.