“A Monster Calls” is a 2016 film about a boy who tells himself stories to get through a nightmare. The movie, directed by J. A. Bayona and written by Patrick Ness from his 2011 novel, follows Conor O’Malley, played by Lewis MacDougall, whose mother, played by Felicity Jones, is dying of cancer. Conor is bullied at school by Harry, played by James Melville, and struggles with his grandmother, played by Sigourney Weaver, who wants him to live with her if his mother dies. His father, played by Toby Kebbell, lives in America with a new wife and child, and Conor hopes he might ask him to come there.
One night, Conor sees the yew tree near his house turn into a monster at 12:07. The monster, voiced by Liam Neeson, tells Conor he will tell him three stories before Conor must face his own fear. The stories are fables about kings, queens, and monsters, each carrying a lesson about guilt, grief, and the stories we tell ourselves to survive.
Trailer, via eOne UK.
The Tree Monster and Its Stories
The monster’s first story is about a prince who runs from his step-grandmother, the queen, and kills his beloved while asleep, framing her so the people turn against her and make him king. The monster knows the truth and hides the innocent queen far away. The second story, cut off in the source material, likely deals with a harsh priest and a healer, though the film never finishes telling it.
These stories are the engine of the film. They are dark, funny, and brutal, and they mirror Conor’s own situation in ways that feel both specific and universal. The monster is not a comfort figure; it is a force that demands honesty, and its stories push Conor to look at the mess of his own life without turning away.
Bayona directs with a steady hand, balancing the monster’s scale with the intimate scale of Conor’s home life. The tree itself, rendered with practical effects, feels alive in a way few CGI creatures manage. The film leans into its fantasy elements without ever losing sight of the real pain underneath.
Performance and Pace
MacDougall carries the film, and he is asked to do a great deal. He must be sad, angry, scared, and curious all within a single scene, and he manages it without ever tipping into melodrama. Weaver is excellent as the grandmother, giving her strictness a warmth that slowly emerges as the film progresses. Kebbell’s father is distant and disappointing, and Jones’s mother is quiet and present in equal measure.
Neeson’s voice work is commanding, and his physical performance, done through motion capture, gives the monster a weight that anchors the film’s central mystery. The supporting cast, including Geraldine Chaplin as the principal and Oliver Steer as Sully, fill out Conor’s world with small, specific details.
The film runs 108 minutes, which is a tight budget for a story this dense. The pacing holds together, and the final act delivers a resolution that is both earned and unexpected.
Reception and Release
“A Monster Calls” premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on 10 September 2016 before its theatrical release. It opened in Spain on 7 October, in the UK on 1 January 2017, and in the US five days later. Reviews were positive, with praise for Bayona’s direction, the acting, and the thematic content. Critics singled out the stories as the film’s strongest element.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 10 September 2016 | Toronto premiere |
| 7 October 2016 | Spanish release |
| 1 January 2017 | UK release |
| 6 January 2017 | US release |
The film underperformed at the box office, grossing $47 million worldwide.
Our Verdict
“A Monster Calls” is a film about grief that refuses to be gentle with its audience. It trusts its young lead to handle hard truths, and it rewards that trust with a story that stays with you long after it ends. The monster is not a hero, and the stories are not fairy tales. They are lessons, and Conor has to learn them.
The film is not perfect. Some threads are left dangling, and the middle section drags slightly, but the strength of the premise and the performances keeps it grounded. This is a film about the stories we tell ourselves to get through the day, and it tells that story with a confidence that few films manage.
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