Anger or sadness? ——a review on A Monster Calls

Last night I watched a movie called 'A monster calls'. What impressed me most are the changing emotional reactions of the boy.

The movie tells a story of a 12-year-old boy named Conner ,whose mom is badly ill and is under a tough session of therapy. He is very sad and afraid of losing his mom. Because his mother is the only person he can rely on and the one he loves most.

Where is his father? His parents got divorced earlier and his father moved to The USA,got married again and had a daughter. Besides ,his father is too poor to raise another child. Luckily ,His mother’s mother can offer him a help. However ,in his opinion ,she is a very weird and stubborn senior lady, and they don’t get along with each other.

However ,he never expressed his sadness and fear to his mom. What he always shows to his mom and others is avoidance and anger. His mom once said a couple of words which made me can’t help crying:one day ,if you look back and you feel bad about for being so angry that you couldn’t even speak to me. You have to know that was ok . Because I know everything you need to tell me without you having to say it aloud.

He is so terrified and sorrowful that he has a nightmare at the time of 12:07 every night. One night a very mighty but warm yew tree monster came into his dream,and then he came by every night. He forced Conner to listen to three stories,and in return he asked Conner to tell his own story which happens in the nightmare.

The first story is about a king ,who murdered his beloved woman to assume the throne ,but became a very honorable king loved by his people.

The second story is about a pharmacist with a bad temper but having a strong belief,as well as a priest with a good reputation but having a weak belief.

The third story is about an invisible man who made himself much more lonely after being seen by people.

When it comes to Conner’s story ,he firmly refused to say it at first,because it is so difficult for him to admit his own feelings,which he thought could kill himself. Finally ,he shouted it out,‘I want to get me out of her(his mom)!’Then he said,‘I can’t let it alone and she will go. I want to give it a finish. I let her go. I make her die……Why didn’t they kill me ? I deserve punishment,deserve the worst. I’ve known forever that she wasn’t gonna make it. She keeps telling me that she is getting better all the time,because that was what I want to hear. And I believed her. But actually I didn’t. I started to think I want these things to be over. I couldn’t stand how lonely it made me feel ……I could have held it longer. I always let her go……I don’t want to be this. Now it’s true. Now she’s going to die ,and it’s my fault.’With the help of the yew tree monster ,he confronted with his true feelings which he tried to escape from for a long time.

At the end of his mom’s life,he finally told her about his emotions :I don’t want you to go.I don’t want you to go! Then he held tightly with his mother. And by doing so ,he can finally let her go.

We may cover our sadness with anger because we want to protect ourselves,just as what Conner does. But the unpleasant feelings such as sadness,fear and so on will get stronger and haunt us like monsters when we try to get rid of them. However ,when we accept them and be patient with them ,they will be much more gentle and can help us like angles.