A Monster Calls (2016)

A boy seeks the help of a tree monster to cope with his single mother's terminal illness. Overwhelmed by his mother’s illness, a young boy begins to understand human complexity through the fantastic tales of a consoling tree monster. 12-year-old Conor O’Malley’s (Lewis MacDougall) life has taken a dark turn. His mother (Felicity Jones) has taken ill; he now lives with his grandmother (Sigourney Weaver), who is less than sympathetic; and he is tortured by bullies at school. The only thing Conor can turn to is his artwork, which creates a world for him to escape. Late at night, Conor unexpectedly conjures a 40-foot-high monster (voiced by Liam Neeson), who comes every evening to tell him stories. It is through these stories that Conor learns to see the world in a completely different way in this visually-spectacular film from director J.A. Bayona.