Anomalisa Named No.1 Film; David Thewlis Voices Central Character
Dec 17, 2016
Films, Movies, News, Review, Thewlis
In an industry where films are brought to greater and greater heights by strides in special effects and CGI, and even animated films are more life-like than ever, Anomalisa is–an anomaly. It is a stop-motion puppet movie that somehow manages to be one of the most “realistic and affecting” movies of the year. The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw names it the No. 1 film of 2016 in the UK.
The film follows Michael, voiced by David Thewlis, our world-worn Remus Lupin in the Harry Potter series. Michael is–oh, the irony–a depressed motivational speaker. He checks into the Fregoli, the hotel version of cookie-cutter housing and so named for a psychological condition, to deliver a speech.
Bradshaw describes Michael’s delusions:
“In the lab-like conditions of an identikit hotel, he embarks on a long spasm of panic; he sees everyone surrounding him to be eerily the same, with the same humanoid-puppety faces. Like a creepy community in an Ira Levin thriller, all the people around Michael seem – to him – to have the same uncanny, unknowable agenda: a secret that he’s not in on.”
The only standout in the midst of his deepening emotional rut is an admirer by the name of Lisa, with whom he forges an unusual connection. She could be the impetus for change Michael so desperately needs and desires. Bradshaw’s review explains what he seeks:
“Something new, something else, something that will bring him happiness at last. He journeys onward, in his cramped and miserable way, believing that the terrain will change, and the sky will change, and the answer to life’s riddle or equation will be extruded from the dull matter of existence.”
But Bradshaw lets us in on the spoiler that Michael doesn’t find it. He remains stuck in the sameness of the life he’s muddling through. Yet he claims:
“Anomalisa is a very funny, fascinating, even weirdly sensual film. It explores the interesting but little-discussed fascination of the faceless corporate hotel – how its anonymity is liberating and exciting.”
Bradshaw gives Charlie Kaufman’s Anomalisa the top rank for a reason. Give it a chance to set itself, and us, apart from the familiar plot-lines and action sequences in most films. It could be the anomaly.
Jennifer Jason Leigh and Tom Noonan also lend their voices. For more on this film, read the full review here.