Review of Anomalisa (2015) by Jeff S — 07 Jan 2016

We've become so inured to the obscene amounts of promotion money thrown at mainstream movies in awards season, it's inspiring to see Charlie Kaufman's small, beautifully-made movie suddenly appear at the last minute- funded by contributions to Kickstarter no less! But for the outstanding Inside Out, Anomalisa would certainly have been a strong contender for best animated feature.

Its characters are so utterly human you readily accept the artifice. David (spoken by David Thewlis) is an unhappily married man on a mind-numbing business trip. What's truly amazing is that no actor could possibly have held an audience's attention playing such humdrum scenes.

But with this superor level of animation I was riveted. Knocking back his room ration of liquor, David switches from Dr. Jekyll to become Mr. Hyde. The movie then morphs effortlessly into high gear. Experience with shrinks and familiarity with dream interpretation will come in handy.