Since all the buzz this week will mostly be about the aftermath of the prestigious Oscars, it's time to look at a film that should have been nominated for the big prize but was overlooked. I'm talking about Spike Jonze's Where the Wild Things Are, one of the finest films of last year. Admittedly, 2009 did yield some fantastic films, but Where the Wild Things Are appeared on no less than fifteen top ten of the year films, including #1 on the New York Times, The A.V. Club, and Austin Chronicles list. And, despite the fact that it was submitted for consideration to awards season, it was brutally snubbed. What gives?
I could go on for hours about how cheated Where the Wild Things Are was, and how The Blind Side couldn't hold a thematic match to the film, but I'd rather go on about simply how marvelous of an achievement the film is. It's the most poignant foray into the mind of a young child that I've ever seen. The wild things (voiced by an all-star cast of James Gandolfini, Chris Cooper, Paul Dano, Forest Whittaker, Catherine O'Hara, and Lauren Ambrose) all represent some aspect of Max's personality, or his life. The monster Carol (pictured), voiced by Gandolfini, represents the unbridled rage of Max, while Alexander (Dano) represents Max's insecurity and need for attention.
The film is basically about a young boy's inner discovery of himself and who he is, and Max becomes quite a different character over the course of the film, as a result of his interactions with the wild things. Jonze's wonderful, handheld cinematography only captures the emotions of his protagonist, as does the raw soundtrack by Karen O of the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs.
So while Where the Wild Things Are was almost criminally kept from getting Oscar recognition it deserves, you shouldn't let that stop you from picking up the film, which was released last Tuesday on DVD. It's a heartfelt, beautiful film, and it's definitely a Best Picture.
