"Anomalisa" Review

Anomalisa is a stop-motion animated romantic dramedy film directed and written by legendary screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and co-directed by Community regular Duke Johnson, and starring the voice talents of David Thewlis, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Tom Noonan. Kaufman's small but impressive filmography of modern classics includes Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, all of which are excellent films that I urge everyone to watch if you're a fan of introspective storytelling (I also consider Spike Jonze's film Her to be a pseudo-Kaufman movie, as it has the same general spirit/wisdom and Jonze is a protege/friend of Kaufman). Kaufman has made a name for himself as one of the most original and thought-provoking filmmakers in the business, coming up with stories that are not only uniquely bizarre and darkly humorous, but also symbolic, complex, and emotional. I think by now you can guess that I'm a Kaufman fan, and I suppose that should be noted while reading this review. Kaufman's style is surely an acquired taste, though I think once you've acquired it, you'll want to eat up every bit of it.

So, I'm actually breaking my "only write reviews of movies I see in theaters" rule with this movie, because I actually watched this on an awards screener online, sadly, but before casting me into hell, please understand my plight. Back in October, this movie was screened as the opener of the Philadelphia Film Festival, and a promotional e-mail by Paramount said that film majors from my school would get in free, and I went. Unfortunately, I was in the rush line of a sold-out show, and admittance cut off about three people in front of me and I coudn't get in. I also tried to make the 50-minute trip to see it in the nearest theater playing it, but couldn't due to other engagements. So, I tried.

Regardless, I felt the need to write about this film because, of the few 2015 movies I've gotten the chance to see over the last week or so, this one was the most interesting to me. Even in the lower resolution of an online screener, this film is really beautiful to look at. It's a very minimalist animated effort, with almost all of it taking place in a single hotel room, and the entire film being warmly lit, but the animation is incredibly fluid and lifelike. A character design choice that threw me off for much of the movie - the inclusion of face lines (something native to claymation that is usually edited out) on the characters - ends up being a unique and clever storytelling device that I think worked out really well.

Those two words can pretty much describe this whole movie - unique and clever. The film deals with a man who has lost connection with life, perceiving all things (and more importantly all people) as mundane and uninteresting, until he meets someone who he believes might change all that. The three voice actors I mentioned at the beginning are the only voices in the film, though there are many more speaking characters in the film than that, which is another odd but very clever design choice that I loved. I can't explain them in much detail without spoiling the movie for you, but trust me when I say that this movie is one of the most interesting cinematic representations of loneliness and attraction I've ever seen. Its decisions in design are very slight, but noticeable enough to make the film an eerie, darkly funny experience that ultimately becomes a deeply introspective and intelligent commentary on the ups and downs of human connection as it slowly strips away the ambiguity of its themes.

I'd love to watch Anomalisa a second time. Now that I've had the pleasure of watching it unfold in front of me and trying to guess its direction, I'd love to pick up on the little details that I'm sure enrich its message even further. I'm being vague with my descriptions intentionally - I'm not just spouting critic-y buzzwords. I want you to see this film for yourself. It's a brisk, short, humorous, and very smartly written piece of work that's both sort of heartbreaking and yet intensely satisfying. It's a film I find myself appreciating more as I think about it.

I understand the few criticisms of this film that I've heard, and I concede that I'd have to watch this movie more times to find things to complain about. I didn't want to give this movie a perfect score, but damn it, Kaufman, you've forced my hand. I found nothing of substantial fault with his movie, and I'm eager to see it again. Sounds like an A+ to me.

Grade: A+

Also, TOMORROW are my Golden Globes reactions/Oscar nominee predictions.