Review of Anomalisa (2015) by Alex H — 12 Mar 2016

It's a heavy one guys... It's a heavy one. Anomalisa is Charlie Kaufman at his least zany and at his most human. This stop motion animation is far from a family film and is funny and life affirming as it is cold and mortally depressing.

Isolation and the connection we as individuals have with the people around us are the film's main themes which run in tandem with one another and are common territory when it comes to Kaufman's writing.

However, these themes and ideas do not feel stale in the slightest but instead offer great insight into the human condition and what it means to meet someone and have a spark with someone for the first time.

On a technical level the film is stunning as the animation feels as unique and intricate as the narrative and at a point cleverly becomes a metaphor for the topics the film discusses. And while the film did floor me, upon first watch I didn't find it to be the masterpiece that other people would have you believe.

Pacing is an issue certainly within the first act and feels slow for the sake of slow and the more time you take to think of the protagonist and his motivations the more you find him to be unlikeable and not in a good way.

With all that said... The film is a trip and I do feel that everyone who watches the film will take away something different and that their own interpretation of the text will be judged by their own wealth of life experiences of feelings of loneliness and companionship.

Bravo Kaufman... You've made me not want to leave the house for a while.