Anomalisa - Film Review

They say still waters run deep, but in Anomlisa's case, my knees are only kinda wet.

If you know any of Charlie Kaufman's previous work, then you already kind of know Anomalisa. A story about a melancholic writer who struggles to connect with anybody and is caught adrift in a slightly off kilter world. The film progresses slowly (sometimes too slowly) through the day in the life of Micheal Stone, a semi famous business writer, who desperately tries to find meaning in this stop motion world.

So, lets start with the good stuff, the film is overall incredibly well realised, with each character feeling like a fully formed person, even though all but the two main leads are voice by the same guy (Tom Noonan). Now, that may sound a bit strange, but it does serve a purpose thematically and works well for the most part, although it does get a bit confusing when multiple characters are all talking with the same voice. The animation is also fresh and interesting, with the stop motion nature adding something to feel and atmosphere of the film, creating this constant uncanny valley aspect to the majority of the characters (which is on purpose).

The story therefore uses these aspects to truly drive home the themes of alienation, "otherness", and depression, but unfortunately it just isn't enough to make the movie great.

The first major concern is the pace, its slow, and for the most part that isn't really a problem, but there are times when it slows down just a little to much. The main character, although realistic and well voice acted, is ultimately unlikable, and this is fine for a short time, but after spending an hour and a half with him it does become a little bit tedious. It also struggles as a whole connecting us to the film, with most of the film feeling cold and distant, even despite the warm colour palette.

But overall the major problem is that the film isn't quite as smart or deep as it appears on the surface, sure it uses it "gimmicks" well, and the whole production is neat and tidy, it just fails to do anything really interesting with all the concepts. The film masterfully brings up these themes of isolation and alienation, and then kind of leaves it at that, never truly exploring the idea fully.

The film ends, and not much has really changed for the main character, or for the audience either. It feels like a car journey where you have travelled to all these interesting places, but the car never stops to let you get out, and in the end, although it was an interesting car ride, you're just back to where you started.

Ultimately, the film is interesting enough to overcome the majority of its shortcomings, and is worth a watch for those interested in the themes it tackles, but unfortunately it doesn't quite do enough to make it great.

Score: 6.5/10