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★★★★☆
22 November 2015
A movie review of ANOMALISA. |
“It’s so button-y. No, button-ish,” Lisa (Jennifer Jason Leigh)
Charlie Kaufman (ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, BEING JOHN MALKOVICH) turns his mind to human malaise so deep-seated it may be classified as depression. Not dour, his trademark wit and unique perspective brings a vibrancy added to the choice of storytelling: Stop-motion animation. (WALLACE AND GROMIT this is not.) Kaufman has gone Tennessee Williams, specifically ‘The Glass Menagerie’, as a man leaves emotional carnage in his wake. Portraying the callous is arguably easier than highlighting failures of imagination/empathy in emotional dealings; the latter is the focus here.
Charlie Kaufman (ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, BEING JOHN MALKOVICH) turns his mind to human malaise so deep-seated it may be classified as depression. Not dour, his trademark wit and unique perspective brings a vibrancy added to the choice of storytelling: Stop-motion animation. (WALLACE AND GROMIT this is not.) Kaufman has gone Tennessee Williams, specifically ‘The Glass Menagerie’, as a man leaves emotional carnage in his wake. Portraying the callous is arguably easier than highlighting failures of imagination/empathy in emotional dealings; the latter is the focus here.
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A plane in the distance, the camera pulls back into the cabin of another passenger aircraft. A cacophony of voices overlapping tortuously gives the first hint of the state of mind of lead Michael Stone (David Thewlis). Sitting morosely, he reads the letter of an angry ex girlfriend, Bella, berating his cold sundering of their relationship over a decade earlier. Even though animated (in clay?), the air of regret is palpable. Tapping into the universal second guess, is the trip, from Los Angeles to Cincinnati, going to be a cliché journey of healing? Hint: No. Awkward humour, of the watch through-your-fingers variety, waits for us.
From a fraidy cat fellow passenger to a talkative cab driver, the folks initially populating the film range from the odd to the irritating. Michael is on an overnight business trip. Even a black and white flick on a television showcases grating characters. (Non-lovers of misanthropy, do not fret, ANOMALISA sidesteps.) On entering the hotel lobby, where he is staying, he is greeted by hushed whispers mentioning his name. A Brit living in the world’s movie capital at first suggests an aging celebrity thespian, but that gives way to reveal his fame is located within his industry: Customer services. He is a keynote speaker at a conference. Michael’s book, ‘How May I Help You Help Them’, is a sector hit. Ironically, Stone’s ability to place himself in the shoes of customers is at odds with general lack of self-knowledge.
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We may furrow our brows as the action unfurls: Don’t all the people look alike? Faces and voices (by Tom Noonan) are indeed all the same. Hair and clothes are the differentiators. Staying at The Fregoli hotel gives the answer. The “Fregoli delusion” is the condition where the sufferer believes everyone is the same person. Married with a child (who both of course sound like Tom Noonan – disconcerting for fans of MANHUNTER), Michael’s indifference and impatience is not hidden. Perhaps Bella will unlock the funk he has found himself in? As an observer, an 11-year gap is either unlikely to have her in forgiving mood, or be the panacea Stone craves. Clue: The filmmakers circumvent inane rom-com territory.
It is the random meeting of Lisa, the one other voice/face that stands out. Her charm and total lack of ego immediately endears Lisa to both Michael and the audience. Their encounter shifts proceedings to another gear, giving us someone else to worry about/be fascinated by.
A stop-animation AMERICAN BEAUTY.
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