Themes of mental illness, self-harm, and death.

Mary and Max isn’t a kids’ movie. It’s a suicide trigger warning wrapped in plasticine. And it’s brilliant.

There are movies that entertain you, and then there are movies that rearrange your emotional furniture. Mary and Max (2009) is the latter. Adam Elliot’s black-and-white (with red accents) stop-motion film about pen pals spanning two decades and two continents is a rare thing: a comedy about suicide, a children’s aesthetic about adult loneliness, and a love letter to imperfection.

Buy the official DVD/Blu-ray from [Madman Entertainment / Amazon link] if you can. The IA is for preservation, not piracy.

stop motion claymation aspergers mental health australian film cult classic mary and max 5. Short Video Script (TikTok / Reel – 30 sec) [Visual: Quick cuts of Mary’s gray world, then Max’s red hair yarn]