In 2015, acclaimed screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and stop-motion filmmaker Duke Johnson released a fascinating adult themed psychological dramedy Anomalisa. Based on Kaufman's own 2005 audio play of the same name, the film went on to receive strong critical attention and massive awards recognition following its slow yet steady rise from an independent short into a full blown feature length film. It's amazing to see an R rated animated feature get that much attention. Now looking back on the film nearly 10 years since its original release, how well does its introspective take on loneliness hold up?
The film tells the story of a middle-aged customer service expert named Michael Stone, who perceives everyone as identical except for one notable woman, Lisa Hesselman, whom he meets in a Cincinnati hotel. Although Anomalisa's premise seems straightforward on its own, its central theme of overbearing loneliness is what makes it a thoroughly engaging watch from start to finish, especially with a primary character who views everyone around him as the same person. In spite of Michael's generally successful life and status, his constant misery from nothing bringing him any pleasure and a past failed relationship are what cause a gap in his life to go anywhere truly worthwhile. Much like how the film's title is a play on the word, Lisa herself is a true anomaly in Michael's existence that inexplicably fills said gap with her vulnerable yet genuine personality, aided by a charming performance from Jennifer Jason Leigh. Rather than being a general romantic story about love, this movie can best be described as a unique reflection on the absence of love.
As for the characters themselves, not only does Kaufman's screenplay present Michael and Lisa with emotionally natural dialogue, but David Thewlis and Leigh share such somberly passionate chemistry with one another. As Michael strives for someone who can change the course of his mundane life, having Lisa go from feeling insecure about herself to feeling special is just the key to opening a new light. But perhaps the most fascinating character in the whole film is literally everyone else, as they are all voiced by and resemble actor Tom Noonan, including the women in Michael's life such as his ex and wife. As conceptually weird as this may seem, this core creative choice cleverly brings in the theme of how everything that one sees as undesirable appears to be the same, thus making the fact that Lisa is truly unlike anyone Michael has ever met. It's rare when a film only features a handful of players and comes off as strong as works like these, and yet works like this remind us that sometimes less is more to convey the inner complexities of human desires.
Going into the animation direction, the naturally realistic approach displayed by the stop-motion crew is nothing short of incredible. Considering that some detractors have put down stop-motion as looking off-putting and uncanny, the pseudo-realistic sets and character designs recreate the familiarities of real life into something fresh and unique from the filmmaker's artistic point of view. While many could argue that this type of story could be done in live-action, the metaphorical viewings Michael witnesses throughout the film make it abundantly clear that animation is the perfect medium for this type of psychological drama, complete with precise attention to detail in specific sequences and character interactions. It also helps that being able to actually see the facial lines on the characters adds into the idea that everyone around Michael is a theoretical puppet and he feels lost in a world full of them. Most feature-length animated films tend to embrace a more fantasy-esque approach in their content and visuals, but seeing this film make the most out of reality is pure poetry.
It might seem simple in concept, but Anomalisa is a beautiful introspective look on the reality of loneliness complete with deep human themes, emotionally resonating characters, and high class animation direction. Whether or not you're a fan of Charlie Kaufman's work or you're into more self reflective takes on animated filmmaking, this film is a must watch for anyone curious about such timeless psychological themes. It's a shame that Charlie Kaufman has not had the chance to direct more of his own material into film, since works like this show how much we need to re-examine ourselves as people.
The film tells the story of a middle-aged customer service expert named Michael Stone, who perceives everyone as identical except for one notable woman, Lisa Hesselman, whom he meets in a Cincinnati hotel. Although Anomalisa's premise seems straightforward on its own, its central theme of overbearing loneliness is what makes it a thoroughly engaging watch from start to finish, especially with a primary character who views everyone around him as the same person. In spite of Michael's generally successful life and status, his constant misery from nothing bringing him any pleasure and a past failed relationship are what cause a gap in his life to go anywhere truly worthwhile. Much like how the film's title is a play on the word, Lisa herself is a true anomaly in Michael's existence that inexplicably fills said gap with her vulnerable yet genuine personality, aided by a charming performance from Jennifer Jason Leigh. Rather than being a general romantic story about love, this movie can best be described as a unique reflection on the absence of love.
As for the characters themselves, not only does Kaufman's screenplay present Michael and Lisa with emotionally natural dialogue, but David Thewlis and Leigh share such somberly passionate chemistry with one another. As Michael strives for someone who can change the course of his mundane life, having Lisa go from feeling insecure about herself to feeling special is just the key to opening a new light. But perhaps the most fascinating character in the whole film is literally everyone else, as they are all voiced by and resemble actor Tom Noonan, including the women in Michael's life such as his ex and wife. As conceptually weird as this may seem, this core creative choice cleverly brings in the theme of how everything that one sees as undesirable appears to be the same, thus making the fact that Lisa is truly unlike anyone Michael has ever met. It's rare when a film only features a handful of players and comes off as strong as works like these, and yet works like this remind us that sometimes less is more to convey the inner complexities of human desires.
Going into the animation direction, the naturally realistic approach displayed by the stop-motion crew is nothing short of incredible. Considering that some detractors have put down stop-motion as looking off-putting and uncanny, the pseudo-realistic sets and character designs recreate the familiarities of real life into something fresh and unique from the filmmaker's artistic point of view. While many could argue that this type of story could be done in live-action, the metaphorical viewings Michael witnesses throughout the film make it abundantly clear that animation is the perfect medium for this type of psychological drama, complete with precise attention to detail in specific sequences and character interactions. It also helps that being able to actually see the facial lines on the characters adds into the idea that everyone around Michael is a theoretical puppet and he feels lost in a world full of them. Most feature-length animated films tend to embrace a more fantasy-esque approach in their content and visuals, but seeing this film make the most out of reality is pure poetry.
It might seem simple in concept, but Anomalisa is a beautiful introspective look on the reality of loneliness complete with deep human themes, emotionally resonating characters, and high class animation direction. Whether or not you're a fan of Charlie Kaufman's work or you're into more self reflective takes on animated filmmaking, this film is a must watch for anyone curious about such timeless psychological themes. It's a shame that Charlie Kaufman has not had the chance to direct more of his own material into film, since works like this show how much we need to re-examine ourselves as people.