Cinema Report #26 - The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet
At first I thought this would be a road-movie … then I realized the protagonist was a child and I was kind of worried it was a film for children. When I watched the trailer and read a bit more about it, I decided it was both and none at the same time and it could definitely be interesting.
It’s always interesting to experience the world through another’s eyes, and this genius boy who up till now knew only his remote home and odd family certainly had an interesting view of the world and the other people who live in it. Sometimes you can’t even tell right away what is real and what is just in his mind, especially since essential parts of the story don’t get told in a linear way. For example, you learn almost in a side note that his twin brother died one day, but it’s only much later revealed how and how this influenced that whole crazy family.
It was lovely to see him pack his bag when he decided to leave his home to travel alone half across the continent in order to receive honours for his scientific work. This reminded me a lot of when I packed my little toy suitcase as a child, contemplating what I would need if I were to run away from home. I, on the other hand, would never have been as brave as him. Even when homesickness plagued him, he kept going, not to mention when he was hungry or being chased by watchmen.
I also liked it that the people he met were generally kind, even if a bit weird. This story wasn’t about a boy who got kidnapped or cheated by strangers while he ran away - such elements had no place in this film. Yes, there were the watchmen of the railway, who even were responsible for him to get hurt, but that touch of reality didn’t harm the movie. The scary trucker was kind to him, however, and even delivered him right onto the doorstep of where he wanted to go - just like the hotdog lady didn’t tell on him, although she must have recognized him as the missing child.
There was a villain of some sort, too, in the form of the over-ambitious museum director who wanted to exploit him. But even she couldn’t do much harm, since his parents showed up just in time to make all better in the end.
Although this was essentially a drama, with some comedy elements, I’d like to praise the special effects, too. There were some stunning pictures in this film and the boy’s imagination came to life in a wonderful way.
It’s always interesting to experience the world through another’s eyes, and this genius boy who up till now knew only his remote home and odd family certainly had an interesting view of the world and the other people who live in it. Sometimes you can’t even tell right away what is real and what is just in his mind, especially since essential parts of the story don’t get told in a linear way. For example, you learn almost in a side note that his twin brother died one day, but it’s only much later revealed how and how this influenced that whole crazy family.
It was lovely to see him pack his bag when he decided to leave his home to travel alone half across the continent in order to receive honours for his scientific work. This reminded me a lot of when I packed my little toy suitcase as a child, contemplating what I would need if I were to run away from home. I, on the other hand, would never have been as brave as him. Even when homesickness plagued him, he kept going, not to mention when he was hungry or being chased by watchmen.
I also liked it that the people he met were generally kind, even if a bit weird. This story wasn’t about a boy who got kidnapped or cheated by strangers while he ran away - such elements had no place in this film. Yes, there were the watchmen of the railway, who even were responsible for him to get hurt, but that touch of reality didn’t harm the movie. The scary trucker was kind to him, however, and even delivered him right onto the doorstep of where he wanted to go - just like the hotdog lady didn’t tell on him, although she must have recognized him as the missing child.
There was a villain of some sort, too, in the form of the over-ambitious museum director who wanted to exploit him. But even she couldn’t do much harm, since his parents showed up just in time to make all better in the end.
Although this was essentially a drama, with some comedy elements, I’d like to praise the special effects, too. There were some stunning pictures in this film and the boy’s imagination came to life in a wonderful way.