Martian Child (***)
Director: Menno Meyjes (Max)
Starring: John cusack, Joan Cusack, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt
Seen: January 18th 2008
*** Out of ****
John Cusack just keeps going from strength to strength. He seems to have an uncanny capability to select great stories, although they are not always box office smash hits. This little film is a testament to those people who never give up on the ones they love, regardless of the circumstances.
Playing a man opposed to bringing children into the world with the current geopolitical situation, John Cusack shines in a silent way. The gradual change he undergoes towards being a father is a great display of the power of love, it’s able to overcome even personal belief systems. Bobby Coleman also warms the heart as the outsider kid who becomes a son. This is a kid deeply affected by his previous life, and he needs to be shepherded towards acceptance, of the world as it is, and of himself.
The kid, of course, isn’t really a Martian, but Mars is exactly where he comes into his own. In one very memorable scene David (Cusack) and Dennis (Coleman) are driving at night, with the city lights forming the illusion of stars and planets all around them on the windows of the car – and here is where the first real connection falls into place between the two. The final scene also plays of on Mars, and it is just beautiful to behold.
The usual child service trying to take the kid away from David and then David trying to win Dennis back did, at least for me, steal a bit from the whole story, but the focus wasn’t put on it that strongly – the focus here is that the love between this father and son is what helped them get through all of this.
What I enjoyed most about this Martian movie however, is how nothing really is Martian, it’s a real life experience about a slightly larger than life boy, and the man who wants to adopt him. It doesn’t seem fake or frivolous for a second…
Starring: John cusack, Joan Cusack, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt
Seen: January 18th 2008
*** Out of ****
John Cusack just keeps going from strength to strength. He seems to have an uncanny capability to select great stories, although they are not always box office smash hits. This little film is a testament to those people who never give up on the ones they love, regardless of the circumstances.
Playing a man opposed to bringing children into the world with the current geopolitical situation, John Cusack shines in a silent way. The gradual change he undergoes towards being a father is a great display of the power of love, it’s able to overcome even personal belief systems. Bobby Coleman also warms the heart as the outsider kid who becomes a son. This is a kid deeply affected by his previous life, and he needs to be shepherded towards acceptance, of the world as it is, and of himself.
The kid, of course, isn’t really a Martian, but Mars is exactly where he comes into his own. In one very memorable scene David (Cusack) and Dennis (Coleman) are driving at night, with the city lights forming the illusion of stars and planets all around them on the windows of the car – and here is where the first real connection falls into place between the two. The final scene also plays of on Mars, and it is just beautiful to behold.
The usual child service trying to take the kid away from David and then David trying to win Dennis back did, at least for me, steal a bit from the whole story, but the focus wasn’t put on it that strongly – the focus here is that the love between this father and son is what helped them get through all of this.
What I enjoyed most about this Martian movie however, is how nothing really is Martian, it’s a real life experience about a slightly larger than life boy, and the man who wants to adopt him. It doesn’t seem fake or frivolous for a second…
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