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Go inside "A Monster Calls"

"A Monster Calls" tackles grief via fantasy
"A Monster Calls" tackles grief via fantasy 03:12

The new film “A Monster Calls” uses fantastical imagery and state-of-the-art special effects to tell the tale of a boy (Lewis MacDougall) summoning a giant tree monster (Liam Neeson) to help him process unsurmountable grief. 

“It’s Hollywood at its best,” Neeson told CBS News while discussing the film. “It’s such a special piece of entertainment. Yes, it has all the bells and whistles, but at the heart of it is this extraordinary of this young man trying to navigate his way through life -- through a very difficult period of his life.” 

Sigourney Weaver, who co-stars as the boy’s grandmother, saw the project as incredibly helpful.

“So many families around the world experience loss, and it’s a movie that’s very respectful, I think, of the experience that people go through,” she said. 

“A Monster Calls,” based on the novel by Patrick Ness and directed by J.A. Bayona, is in theaters everywhere starting Jan. 6.

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