He is also plagued by a nightmare in which the old church near his house collapses into a hole, where he tries to prevent his mum from plummeting to her death by trying to hold onto her. Conor doesn't warm to her due to her coldness.Īt school, he is regularly tormented by his classmate Harry. His grandmother often visits, and suggests he come live with her in the event of his mother's death.

Plot ġ2-year-old Conor O'Malley has a close bond with his seriously ill mother and maintains the household during her regular chemotherapy treatments at the hospital. It underperformed at the box office, grossing $47 million worldwide. The film received positive reviews from critics, with praise for Bayona's direction, acting performances, visual effects, and its thematic content. Ī Monster Calls premiered at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival on 10 September 2016 and was theatrically released first in Spain on 7 October by Universal Pictures, in the United Kingdom by Entertainment One on 1 January 2017, and in the United States five days later. Principal photography began on 30 September 2014, with filming locations mainly including West Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Lancashire in England, with additional scenes filmed on location in Spain. Jones was first hired that April and Neeson joined that May, with the rest of the main cast rounded out by that September. The film rights to Ness' novel were acquired by Focus Features in March 2014, after which, he was hired as screenwriter and Bayona signed on as director. In the film, Conor O'Malley (MacDougall) grapples with his mother's terminal illness as he is visited by the Monster (Neeson), a giant anthropomorphic yew tree who tells him stories. It stars Sigourney Weaver, Felicity Jones, Toby Kebbell, Lewis MacDougall, and Liam Neeson.

Bayona from a screenplay by Patrick Ness and based on Ness' 2011 novel of the same name. A Monster Calls is a 2016 dark fantasy drama film directed by J.

A monster calls audio book