[YMS] So, I got to see Anomalisa at Toronto Film Festival and it was fantastic! As many of you
already know, the director of this film (Charlie Kaufman) is not only my
favorite screenwriter but he also wrote and directed my second favorite film,
Synecdoche, New York. A film that I'm currently dissecting because of how
complicatedly genius it is. Now, with film festivals I tend to decide which
films I'm seeing based on who's involved in the production. So, given the track
record of Charlie Kaufman, the fact that this turned out to be my favorite from
the film festival was no surprise. What did catch me off guard however was just
how different Anomalisa is from Charlie Kaufman's previous films.
In terms of the actual narrative, Anomalisa is probably the least complicated out
of all of these. However, the intelligent choices that align the themes in this
story ensure that there's no lack of interpretation. I mean, anyone who
understands the definition of the word 'anomaly' can likely see the purpose in
this film being so unique in the first place. In a world where almost every film
seems exactly the same, this one stands out in a refreshing way. [Director] It seems to me
like it's a circular problem in that, you know, people who make movies see things
that do well and then they continue to make those things because
they continue to do well, and then that becomes this sort of cycle. And if that's
what you're doing, if that's what you're making, then they have to be really, I think,
they have to be really conventional, because no one is gonna
spend that kind of money on something that they don't have kind of a
certainty that it's going to do well. I think it sucks, you know? I think it sucks for
audiences, I think it sucks for filmmakers.
I think it's an unfortunate thing for our society, because I think
people are not being fed anything that's substantial. [YMS] One of the most
shining elements of this film is the animation. Despite this film being pretty
contained in its scale, the cinematography was very impressive.
There are quite a few shots that caught me off guard and had me thinking: "wait a minute,
this shot has been going on seamlessly for a while now," and in stop motion animation
having to reshoot a shot could mean months of extra work. Having the camera
follow the main character through small doors into different rooms in the
building is not only impressive on a technical level, but it subconsciously adds
legitimacy to the universe, making the location feel like it's a very real place.
There's a particular shot where a character can be seen in the reflection
of our main character's eyes and I can't imagine how complicated that shot must
have been to set up. I'm really hoping that there's a special feature on the
Blu-ray release to help explain these things because the animation is
seriously impressive. With Charlie Kaufman having seemingly no experience
in animation, this movie was co-directed by Duke Johnson. This is his first
feature length film but his previous works include Moral Orel. A show that I'd
highly recommend watching from the beginning and one that I've been meaning
to make a video on for quite some time. And by "quite some time" I mean I am now
learning that it's been over a year since I got those files on my computer
for me to edit through. You can thank Synecdoche, New York for that one,
both metaphorically and literally, as that series has been taking up more time than anything else.
both metaphorically and literally as that series has been taking up more time than anything else.
Now, the animation in Anomalisa has quite the drastically different approach
in comparison to Moral Orel. Where Moral Orel was quite cartoony, Anomalisa had a
far more grounded approach. This is by far the most human stop motion film I've ever seen.
A lot of detail was placed on both vocal and physical character mannerisms,
making these characters seem like very real people. Based on the design alone,
there's a sense of realism and surrealism at the same time.
The character's eyes were more realistic than any animation I've seen,
but at the same time there's a consistent design choice they could not
have been achieved in live action. Now, they haven't really released any images
showing this, so I'm not gonna say what it is, but as soon as you see a
character's face, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.
And that's a decision that not only keeps it stylized and unique, but it
also keeps the aesthetics in line with the themes and underlying messages of
the film. Once again, Charlie Kaufman has impressed me with his sense of purpose,
with each decision being made like a puzzle piece that fits into the larger picture.
Sure, the decision looks good on its own, but with the rest of the film in context
you can see how it fits. Now, I don't really want to go into detail over the
plot and themes of this film because not only would that be better suited when I
have actual footage to work with, but I believe that the way the film itself
unravels these ideas is the best way to go about learning them. So, if you trust me
when it comes to my recommendations, just take my word that this is not only
a film I love, but it's a film that's been creeping its way into my thoughts
since I've watched it. Even now, as I reflect on the movie while I'm recording this,
I'm thinking of several more ways in which the story metaphorically
relates to my own life.
Suffice it to say, I cannot wait until I can see this film for a second time.
Because somehow, despite only having seen it once, it's already starting to grow on me.
Now, there's been a bit of a debate in my head over the 'out of 10' rating for
this film. When I came out of the theater my only certainty was that it was no
lower than an 8. When I wound up rating it on IMDB, I decided it
deserves a 9. But now, as I'm recording this and coming to terms with
the implications that this film has on my life and the human experience, I would
say we've got our first 10 out of 10 film of 2015. Just how it ranks with the
other Charlie Kaufman films I've given a 10 is something that I'm going to have
to decide after a second watch, but by god he's done it again so get hyped and
see this one as soon as you can. Also, Charlie Kaufman and Dukee Johnson were
awesome enough to let me interview them at Toronto Film Festival, so if you wish
to see that video click right here. I can assure you that the fact that they let
me interview them had absolutely zero bearing on the numerical rating I gave this film.
As many of you already know, I don't just hand out these 10 like candy.
And don't just take my word for it as this film is already pretty
critically acclaimed. Anyway, stay tuned for more Toronto Film Fest videos and
Vancouver Film Fest videos over the next few weeks. Until then, you can just get hyped.