I was a fan of Charlie Kaufman when he began his career with three near-perfect films. Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind were three incredibly strange, yet poignant films. They were odd and new and esoteric and almost the perfect examination of humanity whether it be love or creativity or neurosis or any other facet of human existence that Kaufman decided he wanted to aptly express through his art. Since then, Kaufman is still expertly examining humanity, but in much darker and more difficult to watch ways. I didn't make it through Synedoche, New York mainly with how dark and uncomfortable it was. His latest feat, a stop-motion animated picture, Anomalisa, lightens up a little bit, but it still takes a cold, hard look at loneliness.
Michael Stone (David Thewlis... or as you probably know him, Remus Lupin from Harry Potter) is staying in a hotel preparing to give a big speech to a conference about customer service advice. However, Michael is struggling with his own overwhelming depression and loneliness. So much so that every single person around him whether it be cab drivers, bell boys, or ex-girlfriends they all essentially have the same face and the exact same voice (Tom Noonan). This is until he hears Lisa (Jennifer Jason Leigh) who doesn't sound like everyone else and doesn't look like everyone else. She's quiet and breathy and anxious and nervous and lacks serious self-confidence but Michael is instantly in love. She is the anomaly in a world of familiar faces... the Anomalisa.
Things I particularly liked about this film were ample. The animation is top notch and it's funny to see how mundane clay can become. There's a simple hotel room complete with turn-down service, a television with a remote that can be velcroed to the table. There is the reenactment of an actual scene from My Man Godfrey on the television and its spectacular. The attention to detail is wonderful and makes for a really unique film. There's also the very dark humor. Michael Stone is a very unpleasant man due largely to the fact that he is out to please no one. They are a sea of familiar faces and if everyone becomes a singular entity, why please them all? But, due to this his curmudgeon attitude lends for some pretty funny moments. The scenes between him and Lisa are very interesting. We're able to see a happiness, albeit brief, out of Michael we know he hasn't shown in years. Yet, their interactions, especially when he gets Lisa back to his room is very uncomfortable in nature that as a viewer it's hard to stomach because you know instantly it is doomed to fail.
Things that I found kind of hindered the film, and this may just be my opinion is that everything is so black or white with Michael that he's hard to relate to in any way. He's SO unhappy that if there was any connection to the character once, by the time we're meeting him it's almost too hard to understand. The chemistry he shares with Lisa invites us in to knowing his true self, but it's just very hard to relate. Kaufman examines loneliness, but to the most severe degree. And I'm sure this is the point, but it's still on the darker side of his films whereas Adaptation and Eternal Sunshine both have dark ideas of examination, and are presented in very quirky and other-worldly ways, they are still relatable. The relationship between Joel and Clementine is one of the most organic and realistic relationships I've ever seen on screen and everything you're watching is something that could never happen in life, but that doesn't mean they weren't relatable. Kaufman's examination of humanity and loneliness we all suffer from at times is very profound, but it's past the point of relatability and on to the point where we can't see why this dude doesn't just suck it up and fix his shit.
It is a fascinating movie to watch. There is some definite Charlie Kaufman quirk amongst the ennui, but it's a sad movie. It's something to behold, but it may leave you feeling emotionally dead inside after seeing it. The voice acting is also top notch. Thewlis is able to give this level of melancholy to Michael's voice that doesn't ever really leave him, even when he thinks he's found "love". It's beautiful. And Jennifer Jason Leigh gives Lisa this breath of fresh air, a girl who we believe should be a lot more confident than she really is. All she can really do is talk about how ugly she is and how no man ever wants her, and we believe her, but we understand why Michael would choose her over everyone else. Like I said, it may not be the most enjoyable film you'll ever watch, but it is one of the most fasinatingly strange.
B-
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