Mary and Max.

? We cannot choose our relatives, but we can choose our friends. This is a friendship that spans age and distance. They are each other's best partners and friends. Their friendship has nothing to do with nationality and gender, age and illness, but they spent countless moments together, and the story between them formed Mary and Max.

? Mary and Max is an Australian clay animation made in 2009 and the opening masterpiece of Sundance Film Festival. The whole film is dominated by black, white and brown, and simple colors tell a touching story. Eight-year-old Mary is a lonely girl living in Melbourne, and Marx is a 44-year-old Jew living in the chaotic urban area of new york, obese and autistic. By chance, they found each other and started a 20-year communication across two continents. This friendship between pen pals has continued through letter after letter. Director Adam said that this is the inspiration given to him by life. Adam also has a transnational pen pal in real life. This pen pal is as autistic as Marx and has a huge figure. Adam also dated this pen pal for 20 years. Adam is not only the screenwriter and director of the film, but also the designer of all the images in the film. He said that new york photographer Albers's unique black-and-white portrait inspired his creation, and a role in the film was designed according to the image of Albers.

? The narrative technique of this animation is simple and straightforward, and Mary and Max's life scenes are constantly changing with the letters, showing us the dribs and drabs of Mary and Max's life. With the exchange of letters between the two people, in addition to the gradual deepening of friendship, the characters have also become three-dimensional and full. Mary was born in Australia. She has a birthmark on her head and was laughed at by her classmates since she was a child. Her parents seldom care about Mary. Mary's life is lonely without the care of her family and the company of her friends. Marx suffered from severe autism and obesity, and his morbid psychology and body forced him to see a doctor every week. Marx has no friends, and his life is very lonely. Although they have never met each other in their correspondence for more than 20 years, this relationship, which can pour out each other's inner feelings, has become their savior. Marx's world is always black and white, and Mary's gift is the only color in his life, which has accompanied him for many years. His life may be unfortunate, but Mary is lucky in this misfortune and gives Marx the motivation to continue living. Mary grew up in an unhappy family, and her communication with Marx became an important part of her growth. Maybe only Marx can really understand Mary. Even though we are separated from Wan Li, even though we have never met each other, even though we have never heard each other's voices, we are lifelong bosom friends. As Marx said: "The two of them walked forward from their incomplete sidewalks full of cracks. One day, meet at the intersection, and then you can share a can of sweet condensed milk. "

Unlike animated films that fly over the wall on the big screen, Mary and Max will bring strong visual contrast to the audience. Because it has no so-called 3D technology, no high-tech expression of program input, and no exaggerated and funny bridge, everything on the screen can only be explained by "earth". All the characters in the film, including Mary and Max, are made of clay, and you can even see the fingerprints on the clay doll. This film is realistic with high-cost stop-motion animation. Compared with CG technology, using stop-motion animation is undoubtedly more expensive. But director Adam said that a lump of plasticine would make the audience feel more real when watching. Although CG technology can make the expressions of characters in animation richer and more vivid, the production cost of the whole animation will be lower. But Adam insisted on using stop-motion animation to make the audience feel real. The whole animation consists of about100000 independent pictures. Six Canon digital cameras took still pictures, and two fashion designers and 65,438+047 tailors participated in the design and production of the clothes in the film. All the words in the movie, the words appearing in corner shops and windows, the words on signboard packaging and beer bottles. Including the letters between Mary and Max, were written by director Adam himself. More than 400 miniature props, from wine glasses to typewriters, were squeezed out of the soil bit by bit by the staff. Especially the old typewriter in the film, the staff spent nine weeks designing and making it. In the process of setting the film, 2 12 clay figurines were used, which were made of clay, composite materials, wooden sticks and metal. Every joint of every clay figurine can move, and every pupil of every clay figurine is completely made by technicians. The film crew also made more than a dozen copies for the two main characters of the film. From the initial conception to the completion of filming, Adam spent five years, and every picture reflected the director Adam's profundity and intention.

The overall tone of this film is dark. When describing Marx's life scenes in new york, the overall tone is black and white. When the camera switches to the scene of Mary's life, the gray tone is mainly khaki. These two colors imply Mary and Max's unhappiness. In contrast, Marx's life is full of more unhappiness and misery because of Asperger's syndrome. It is worth noting that in Marx's life with only three colors: black, white and gray, what Mary gave him was always colored, which was the only color in Marx's life. A red ball of wool and all kinds of chocolates from Mary are the only colors in Marx's life. When Marx ate the chocolate he bought, it was black, but the milkshake made of chocolate given by Mary was brown, which implied that Mary was the only friend in Marx's life, and she brought a touch of color to Marx's life. But when Mary and Max almost broke up in the later period, Marx angrily took off the red wool ball that Mary gave him on his hat, and Marx completely fell into a life of only black, white and gray. Among them, the angle conversion of the lens is also impressive. When Mary decided to go to America to meet Marx, she received the M-letter key representing Marx's decision to break up with him. The subtitle at this time is "Her excitement soon disappeared, like chocolate in the sun." At this time, the camera began to move up, and finally an overhead perspective was presented. Throughout the process, Mary's shadow was gradually elongated, just like chocolate melting in the sun. The director broke away from convention and used gloomy colors and lens language to show the lonely lives of the two protagonists through the subtle differences in colors of the two spaces.

This animation is 90 minutes long, but the story is very full and profound, expressing the director Adam's understanding of friendship and life. Using a brand-new freeze-frame animation form, each character is like a clay doll made of clay, but the three colors of black, white and brown convey a warm story. At the end of the story, Mary looked up and saw her letter ironed, framed and hung on the ceiling by Marx. Wearing the orange wool ball that Mary gave him when he was a child, Marx looked up happily at the ceiling covered with letters that Mary wrote to himself. Die peacefully with a satisfied smile.

? Maybe our life is not so colorful and grandiose. None of us live in those earth-shattering worlds, and this is the most real life. As Marx said to Mary: Our life path may be different from others from the beginning and more difficult than others. But some shortcomings are part of us, and we have no choice but to accept them. But fortunately, we can at least choose our own friends, and I am glad to choose you as my friend.