My Wild Things

Last evening I saw Spike Jonze's film of Where The Wild Things Are - an unexpected cinematic experience that felt less like watching a movie and more like traveling to a place that I had not visited in a long time. The film interprets Maurice Sendak's book well and in a way that brings the viewer to a world that is quiet, rough-hewed, primordial. Watching it, I relaxed into the unconventional nature of the film and this island of wild things visually offered by Jonze's direction. As Max and the Wild Things run through the woods, I longed to join them, letting my hair fly untangled and free behind me. When I was kid, I loved to run. I still love it but as a younger version of myself, I really felt my power when I ran (my theory is why walk when you can run). Watching this movie, I found pieces of my power return to me. By power, I mean that frame of mind where you are wholly yourself and feeling charged by your place in the world.

This movie is not a children's movie. It's a movie for everybody (in my opinion, for kids over the age of 10) who wants to visit "a place where only the things you want to happen, would happen." Just where I needed to be.

Image found here.