There were two things that had me pumped up about The Wild Things: 1. Jim Henson muppets, and 2. Karen O.  I was never very attached to the story as a kid, and was pretty sure that it was going to be a hyped-up-indie-fest as a film.  However, this was also during that period that I kept going to movies expecting little and being blown away (Away We Go, Jennifer’s Body, Paper Heart, and Whip It!), so maybe that explains the mild obsession that overtook me after seeing The Wild Things last fall.  The film, the soundtrack, and the book all made their mark on me, and all have a little feminist spin in my opinion.  Let’s break it down:

The Film

Sadly this trailer doesn’t incorporate the Karen O led music that really contributes to the feel of the film, nor does it capture what, to me, was the most meaningful theme: Max’s relationship with his mother.  What? you say?  His mother?  Please, this is a story about a naughty and wild little boy. On the surface, yes, but Max’s relationship with his mom is what gave the film depth.

Max is being raised by a single mother who has a new boyfriend, which can be hard on any kid.  It’s hard even into adulthood to understand split parents, and when a newcomer steps in things become even more difficult.  Max was already a pain-in-the-butt kid, and between a fight with his older sister and the apparent intrusion of a new man into his home, he loses it.  He runs away and winds up living among the Wild Things as their king.  And each Wild Thing offers us an insight into Max’s relationship with his mom.  Carol represents the possessiveness Max feels towards her; Alexander represents how ignored he feels; Judith represents his difficult and disagreeable side; Ira represents the doting and needy part of him; and the Bull represents the stoic role our society asks us to show when we’re really experiencing pain.  K.W. on the other hand, represents Max’s mom.

K.W. is warm, loving, kind, and is more complex than the other Wild Things can understand.  She has a different level of maturity, she needs relationships outside of the group.  Carol in particular is resentful of this and alternates between loving K.W. and not knowing how to express it and loathing her in a violent and possessive way.  This is a clear reflection of how Max has treated his mother on the night he ran away.  When Carol turns on Max for letting him down as a king, it is K.W. that protects him, hiding him in her mouth.  For a moment after it is safe, K.W. wants to keep Max, but she understands that as much as she loves him, she must let him go.  Whether Max has the capacity to understand this as deeply as I see it or not, this is the turning point where he realizes he needs his mother and must return to her, hopefully with a new respect for her as a person, not just a mom.

The Soundtrack

So awesome.  Where do I even start?  Full disclosure: I don’t actually like the music outside of the film, although it complements the film fantastically.  But that kind of says something: this music supports its film, it’s not a greatest hits that you pop in your car and take a road trip to (unless maybe it’s through the woods) like the trendoid soundtracks of indie films and the O.C.

Furthermore, the choice of Karen O. of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs for this project is ingenious.  Karen is quite the Wild Thing herself, and her animalistic vocals are perfect for the mystical, raucous world that Max finds himself in.  Additionally, the incorporation of kids throughout the soundtrack also gives it a bit of whimsy along with the wild – the kids aren’t your typical in-tune choir, they’re natural, messy, heartfelt voices having fun.  That actually describes the story pretty well, too.

The Book

The original children’s story, Where The Wild Things Are, was written and illustrated by Maurice Sendak.  Although after seeing the film I was convinced that I had the book as a child, my mother assures me that this is untrue (she has since sent me a new copy – thanks, Mom!).  Whether I had the book or not, it’s a common kids story that I was familiar with, but never really invested in.  It was about a boy and some monsters.

Sendak worked with director Spike Jonze to make the story into film, and Dave Eggers was invited to join the project as well as complete a novel adaptation of the story.  The novel follows the film closely, to a point, but offers a deeper history for Max and his family, some darker adventures on the island, and (my favorite part) a lot more of Judith’s cutting sarcasm.  The book was easy to read and enjoyable, but the motherhood aspect that I found so touching in the film is missing, replaced by Max’s longings for his absent father.  Eggers’ explains the differences between the tellings of the story as illustrations of the differences between the men behind the scenes.

“The children’s book Max is, after all, a version of Maurice, and the movie Max is a version of Spike.  The Max of this book, then, is some combination of Maurice’s Max, Spike’s Max, and the Max of my own boyhood.”

Maybe that means that these interpretations are a version of Miss Wizzle, and the Max of my girlhood.  I recommend (against my own predictions) all The Wild Things you can get your hands on.  Maybe they will give you a vision of your own inner Max.

The soundtrack and book are available now, the film releases on DVD March 2.