MirrorMask

Helena is a girl that has been raised and lives in a traveling circus, who yearns for the life of a regular girl. She is artistic, eccentric, and has a vivid imagination. When her mother falls ill, we travel inside her dreams and embark on a quest to restore balance between the worlds of light and dark. The result is one of the most unique and visually stunning film experiences that I have experienced.

The story of MIRRORMASK is fairly simple and straight forward, a girl in a dreamland on a quest. Since the setting is the inside of a girl’s dream, there are bits and pieces from her real life that bleed through into this world. People in her life appear in this fantasyland such as her mother and father. The other interesting aspect is that Helen knows that she is trapped in her own imagination, her drawings providing the architecture that she navigates.

When she looks through the windows in this land, she has a portal to the real world. In this real world, is the dream version of herself. For some reason, they have switched places and now Helen must find out why and also how to get back home. The plot may sound confusing, but it all fits into place as you watch the tale unfold.

The brains behind MIRRORMASK are the talent of writer Neil Gaiman and Director Dave McKean, who have a long history of collaboration in the world of comics. There are no limits to their imagination when you put them together and given the outlet of film, the results are remarkable. From top to bottom, this is a stunning film. Most of the world and the characters are a pure construct of their collective mind. It is as if a Picasso painting has come to life. Words cannot do it justice.

One of my favorite set pieces in MIRRORMASK is when Helen finds herself surround by Monkey Birds, most of whom are named Bob. Suddenly they come under attack by the dark forces and a chase. These Monkey Birds swing from bars, leaping, Helen in arm, fleeing from these hideous dark bird creatures. It is amazing and visually incredible.

Another thing to keep in mind if you do see MIRRORMASK is that the whole project was made for four million dollars. While I am still not sure how they accomplished that, what is evident is that the small budget made it possible for McKean and Gaiman to really let loose and not have their imaginations restricted because they are not “commercial” enough. Some of what came out of that is as far from mainstream as you can possibly get, but the movie as a whole is perfect for people of all ages, but would capture the imagination of children in the way that movies like THE DARK CRYSTAL did for me.

MIRRORMASK is a good movie, but it is worth it simply for the visuals. I guarantee that it will show you a world that will surprise you and one that you will not soon forget.