Mary e lo spirito di mezzanotte

The young "Mary" has travelled the length of Ireland to submit her recipe to an exclusive cookery school. They deride it as bland to the chagrin of her feisty grandmother who promises that they'll be back. It's on their lengthy drive afterwards that we discover something of the close bond between them and that she's got quite a nasty cough. Back home, her mother "Scarlett" is concerned at events that end up with the old lady in hospital with, according to the nervous "Dr. Patel", not too long to go. It's around this time that the youngster meets "Anastasia" in the woods. She is a sympathetic and slightly enigmatic soul who assures the girl that everything will be "grand" - but who is she? She knows things she shouldn't but not in a malevolent fashion. When she eventually meets granny, things begin to make a little sense as the four women travel/abscond to her abandoned childhood home in County Wexford. It does meander a little too much: there are far too many animated equivalents of establishing and beauty shots, and there isn't a great deal of jeopardy as the plot unravels rather predictably. That doesn't matter so much, though, as this adaptation of Roddy Doyle's story of family, love, life and ... death manages to hit home in a subtle and friendly fashion. The art work itself is a little two dimensional, with most of the visual emphasis on the big-eyed faces but try to stay focussed on the colcannon that you can almost smell. There's a simple charm to this story and it does leave you with a slightly warm feeling when you leave the cinema afterwards.

Well, I did not expect to cry on my American Airlines flight, but here we are.

What a lovely hidden gem this movie is! I wouldn't call this a "kid's" movie, but one that the whole family could watch together. After all, it's a story about a family with four generations of women.

I appreciate stories that explore the complex relationship between mothers and daughters. While I have a healthy relationship with my own mother today, I remember the rocky patches we went through in the past, especially during my teenage years. I could relate to Mary as she became frustrated with her mother and struggled with the emotional trauma of her grandmother dying. However, I loved that the film had her grow as a character and become kinder and more accepting of her mother, and vice versa. It's refreshing when a "bratty" character can develop throughout the plot and become redeemed at the end.

Speaking of Mary, I also loved the relationship between her and her grandmother, as it reminds me of the relationship I have with my own grandmother. Being an adult in my 20s, I sadly do not have much time left with my grandma. This film touched me because it explored the topic of grief with fragility yet authenticity. It teaches viewers that it's okay to be sad and angry and experience all the feelings that come with grief, yet it assures us that there is hope in the future as we navigate our new normal without our loved ones.

Being an animation afficionado, I appreciated the charming art style and bright colors the film possessed. It was also neat to experience a bit of Ireland's culture, as I am from the United States and have never been anywhere in Europe.

My only critique is that some of the songs within the film made it feel a little too "kiddy." Like I mentioned earlier, I believe this film can be enjoyed by anyone of any age, but the musical number-style scenes squarely put it into the "for kids" category. Not a huge complaint, but I would have appreciated some more subtle background music during these scenes.

Overall, if you can watch this film, either on American Airline's app or by paying for it, I highly recommend you do.

Giving this an 8/10 rating

A really quite splendidly funny, moving and very well animated film, based on a book by Roddy Doyle, and has some very sharp humour that is nothing short of nutty, this tale about a really important subject that effects everyone, and it shows conviction and bravery, with a lot of heart in it, plus it is so really well handled it's fun, from start to finish.

The family involved is played by Brendan Gleeson, Mia O'Connor, Sharon Horgan, Rosaleen Linehan, Charlene McKenna, and Paul Tylak who plays a health worker, all deliver their roles and the jolly lines that are needed, otherwise this world be a very dark tale.

Writer and director, Enzo D'Alò takes us in and shows us some quite spectacular views of Ireland, and the character designs do work very well, and there is a lot of food in this film, so and a bit of crying, but you will be laughing. The film does not waste our time, everything is paced right, and the good writing, also from Roddy Doyle and Dave Ingham, make this little adventure more than good.

So glad I rushed out and watched this in the cinema, might be in my top ten of this year of movies.