A Monster Calls is a film that tackles a difficult and very emotional subject and wraps it up in a fantasy-monster tale. It could be awful, really bad, but in this case, thankfully the topic and the way it is portrayed and told to the viewer is handled admirably. As is always the case with these type of films that acting is paramount to how you feel about the whole thing. Liam Neeson brings the right tone of menace with a purpose to fantastically animated tree-monster. He was both scary and angry when he needs to be but just by voice acting alone showed his whole reason for being was to help Conor from the very beginning.

Lewis MacDougall is basically perfect in the role of Conor and never plays for out-and-out sympathy even though he gets it from the audience. Totally believable and if he doesn’t make you cry then you must get that stone you have for a heart seen to. Ably supported by the great acting of Felicity Jones, Toby Kebbell and Sigourney Weaver as his immediate family the performances slot together to produce the perfect storm of emotions.

Make no mistake this is a film about a serious topic, particularly for youngsters watching the film. It’s about life, death, how we deal with strong emotions, how we affect other people, how we have to accept the finality of situations beyond our control. This list goes on and is simple and yet complex enough for any audience. Each story, or parable if you like, is not a sugar-coated fairy tale but points out little truths to Conor and therefore to us all.

Although fantastical in its approach A Monster Calls manages to present a serious topic in a realistic and somehow entertaining way. If nothing else younger viewers with perhaps no understanding of death and the grief process might just get an insight into something that they hopefully never experience until later in life.

This could have been maudlin, manipulative and even dark but thanks to the skill of the writing, directing and acting you have a film that certainly makes you think about it long after it has finished.