The boy who would be king

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Where The Wild Things Are is Spike Jonze’s adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s celebrated children’s book of the same name. Like the book it is bold, imaginative, challenging and incredibly immersive. Unlike the book, it is a film. And here lies the crucial difference.

Adapting a book for the screen is a very delicate art. Too much of a departure from the author’s original represents a disrespectful betrayal, while a direct translation of the book can either be visually unachievable or create a dreadfully neutered relative of the unique and beloved text. Some adaptations are done purely as revenue-generators, relying upon the popularity of the book to ensure revenue at the box office. These films are often the ones most faithful to the book – see Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, or The Da Vinci Code. Other films are passion projects, where directors or writers render a cinematographic representation of their personal experience of the book – see either of the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory films or Adaptation (also by Jonze).

Jonze is somewhat forced to take the latter approach with Where The Wild Things Are, as a faithful film version of the book would probably last only half an hour. It therefore opts to fill in the gaps, imagining the sequences in between the iconic pictures seen in the storybook. The surprising thing is the boldness and vigour with which Jonze has chosen a direction and pursued it, while maintaining a tender approach throughout. Where The Wild Things Are ceases to exist as a whimsical, imaginative excursion for its wolf-suited hero, and instead becomes a complex, bewildering and often threatening exploration of emotion and social dynamics.

Broken homes and broken people are introduced into a narrative that for many was a pure representation of innocence. Max (played by the aptly named Max Records) enters the land where the Wild Things are after a rebellious tantrum during which he bites his mother. After his encounters with the creatures and their society (which, for the sake of not spoiling some funny and touching dialogue and denouements, I’ll refrain from detailing) he begins to appreciate how complex he himself is, and how his actions affect those around him. His election as King of the Wild Things eventually leads to the realisation that the idea of perfection which he promises the creatures is totally unattainable. Consequently, he understands the difficulty of his mother’s position, and the unrealistic expectations he has placed upon her. The film’s narrative flow is essentially one from selfishness to self-awareness.

Max’s catharsis in the land of the Wild Things makes him realise that doing what he wants, and others doing what they want, is ultimately destructive. This is the story we find in the Bible, where an initial act of selfishness upsets not only personal trajectory, but social harmony too. Self-interested actions and knowing disregard for others repeatedly bring about destruction and societal decay. Jesus’s commands to ‘deny yourself’ and ‘love one another as I have loved you’ speak into these situations, ringing through the ages and right into the life of young Max in Where The Wild Things Are.

The only solution offered within the film is the temporary illusion of a capable king, who has the power to banish loneliness and provide happiness, fulfilment and harmony. The power of the film lies in its ability to create an empathic reaction in the audience, as it keys into the innate desire for someone to make everything OK, and the disappointment felt when that person cannot be found. Max’s revelation occurs after a period of introspection, a pursuit many find an indulgence and luxury they cannot afford. If you take anything from this film, it should be to follow the child’s example: look inside, find your wild thing, restlessly desiring a king, topple your idols, look outside, and find the real thing. Where The Wild Things Are stops where many of us do: at the realisation that our parents, our leaders and our idols cannot be God. The good news that exists outside of the film is that God really is the ultimate King who can do everything Max claimed, and much more besides.

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