Review of Waking Life (2001) by Matthias G — 16 Aug 2008

Linklater employs a brilliant and memorable visual style (that he later utilized in his film A Scanner Darkly) that allows this film to exist both in the worlds of live-action and animation. Essentially plotless, the film goes in and out of discussions an surreal sequences with nameless people about topics ranging from personal experience to the nature of dreams, even including meditations on philosophy and the nature of life.

Because Linklater works in animation, he has the liberties to play with what would be anti-cinematic conventions that dovetail with the subject matter onscreen. This is an excellent film that should be seen.