Review of Waking Life (2001) by Brandon W — 02 May 2015

Waking Life is something strange, but also something exhilarating in how it opens your mind. It demands every aspect of your attention and it makes your brain open in ways few films ever manage to do. At first, watching the film feels a bit disorienting, especially with such unusual animation and hearing the characters engage in their various discussions, but once you open your mind and let it explore what Waking Life has to offer, you will be in for something extraordinary and unlike anything you have or ever will see.

The story focuses on a young man who drifts in and out dreams, not knowing if he is ever truly awake, or dreaming still. During this strange odyssey, he engages, listens, and observes various colorful characters and how they discuss numerous topics like dreams vs. reality, existentialism, philosophy, politics, life, and several other things - each with their own strange animation to go along with them as he dives deep into such unknown territory.

What makes the story so engaging is in how abstract it is. You never know what bizarre character or scenario you'll come across, but you'll always be eager to hear what the characters have to say next because they have A LOT to say about their topics. Though it can be confusing, it's never in a bad way, but rather, it mimics the enigmatic and elusive nature of dreams. Plus, with such a colorful cast of characters along the journey, it's certainly never boring.

While most of the cast is comprised of unknowns, the cast as a whole is quite good, even though many of them have very brief roles before the main character finds his way to another conversation. They dive headfirst into the madness, bringing life to their unusual characters with a wide variety of emotions - subtle and intense. There is not one dull or weak performance.

As far as entertainment goes, this will depend on how much quirkiness you are willing to put up with from your films. For me, as someone who enjoys strange films, I found it to be endlessly entertaining and fascinating. It's a very cerebral and thought-provoking film bolstered by unusual animation, which itself will be polarizing for a viewer - you will either love it, or find it horrid to look at. The film opens the viewer up to a wide variety of discussions and it will be a long time before this film leaves you because it stimulates your brain so well. However, there is also a possibility that you will hate it and find it to be pretentious nonsense.

If you love animated films - and I mean animated films of all kinds, not just kid-oriented ones - Waking Life is a must-see. It's a real mind blower of a film. And if you hate it, at least give a second viewing before writing it off. I think it is a phenomenal film, and easily among the greatest animated films and films altogether that I've ever seen.