I gave this a miss initially because the design of the world and characters is repulsive to me like Shrek but I saw it on a plane recently and was blown aware by the strength and intergrity of the characters. I ended up caring and feeling for these ugly lumps of clay and even feeling a bit emotional.
Mary lives in Melbourne with her alcoholic mother and absent father. Her lonlieness leads her to start a correspondence with a random person in America who ends up being a 40 year old man with aspergers syndrome. They continue their correspondence throughout Mary's teens and into adulthood when she becomes a mother.
The isolation of these characters is heartbreaking. All they want is a real friend and not a rooster called Chips who wears a shrunken chip packed tied around his neck or an imaginary friend who reads self help books in the corner.
It's a story of real people and not the "chosen" one of most films who have a specific path and destiny and seem to always find true love. Beautiful.
YES - a lovely story of an unusual friendship.
