Review of Anomalisa (2015) by Anthony K — 05 Mar 2016

In a big way, the discussion I had about this film immediately after viewing heightened my appreciation for it. I by no means believe this to be one of Kaufman's best films, but the idiosyncracies and unconventional approach to the material are still present.

Anomalisa, like most Charlie Kaufman films, defies traditional explanation. The most that can be said in a little blurb of a review is that it's about the cycle of repetition that our lives settle into as we grow older and more trapped in our ways.

Over the course of an evening, the main character (who can't distinguish between the faces and voices of everyone around him) has a sudden crisis and attempts to remove himself from (or perhaps deepen himself in) the monotonous flow of his life.

The animation works as a fantastic stroytelling device because it allows the audience to view the world and the people in it as interchangeable pieces that trap him in boredom. Maybe it's literal and maybe it's not, but it allows Michael's existential haze to linger.

The film goes to great lengths to help you feel his depression and helplessness, but therein lies my one major issue with the material: Michael is an asshole. He is a self-obsessed narcissist who can't see past the end of his own nose, using people like dolls and failing to realize that he is responsible for the endless spiral of his life.

That's probably the point, but personally I felt alienated from the story because of this. I could not empathize with his plight and therefore didn't care what he did as he sunk further and further.

Overall, this is a fantastic think piece of a movie, but I don't expect to be watching it ever again. 7.9/10.