Mary and Max

“Mary and Max” is a film craftily designed to fully represent a beautiful cross between comedy and drama.  This film cunningly appeals dually to mature emotion and circumstances as it does to basic childlike sensibilities and innocence.  Though there is this element of innocence, there are certain aspects of the film which are recognized clearly as “adult”; however, because these moments are paired often with the characters’ child-like naivety, the viewer is compelled to not only sympathize with them, but also find their innocence humorous and endearing.  Though there are several scenes which this element comes into play, our introduction to Mary via the narrator is our first experience with this technique. 

            When the viewer first meets Mary, the tale begins in a traditional sense in that we first get to know her, but we are also introduced to her circumstances.  Immediately the viewer is compelled to care for her as the narrator explains that she is lonely, her family poor and often neglecting her, as well as her own unpopularity with other children.  In light of her circumstances, however, Mary’s questions of adult concepts such as where do babies come from and her literal translation as well as her gullibility lends a comedic tone to her rather dismal situation.  Likewise can be said for many moments between “Mary and Max” throughout the film, in which the interaction between our characters follow a similar system.

            Compared to a typical situation between an adult and a child, “Mary and Max” both begin with a naivety about them that would speak to their innocence about the world and what they know about adult life.  While we would expect this of Mary because of her age, typically we would expect Max to be more knowledgeable and generally more mature, especially with what he chooses to tell Mary.  On this level, they are equaled minded, at least up until Mary matures and she becomes the adult figure between them.  At this point in the film, when Mary looses her mother and marries Damian, there is a break between what is childlike and what is adult—what is humorous and what is tragic.  This break is represented in the conflict between “Mary and Max”, with Max still maintaining the innocence from the beginning and Mary embodying newfound maturity.  Here the humor is restricted as Mary and Max’s circumstances are not necessarily endearing in a childlike sense, but in a more adult sense, such as when we find Damian has eloped with a sheep herder from New Zealand or when Max writes the Mayor so that the littering fine may be increased to a million dollars.

            Towards the end of the film, I believe, this component continues to exist.  As Mary walks into Max’s apartment and discovers him dead, I believe it is tragic, however, as Mary does not seem overwhelmed by grief, but rather chooses to sit with him while holding his hand, the moment remains lighthearted.  This can be said as she surveys his living quarters, which contain all of her letters finely pressed and laminated on the wall and a can of unfinished sweetened condensed milk sitting on a stool.  Even until the end, Max maintains his childlike sensibilities, while Mary, with her newborn child, has an air of maturity about her and a worldly understanding we had yet to see in her.  Elliott's view of humor and pathos is clearly shown in his work on “Mary and Max” and tactfully as well as successfully accomplished.