Anomalisa (2016)

Anomalisa (2016)

A chilling adult animated film that fully immerses you into mid-life depression and mental illness

The Very Best

8.3

Movie

UK, United Kingdom
English
Animation, Comedy, Drama, Romance
2015
CHARLIE KAUFMAN, DUKE JOHNSON
David Thewlis, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tom Noonan
90 min

What it's about

An inspirational speaker becomes reinvigorated after meeting a lively woman who shakes up his mundane existence.

The take

Putting the inherent eeriness of stop motion animation to perfect use, Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson's Anomalisa create a legitimately disturbing experience of a man's paranoid delusions, as he tries desperately to make a real human connection while perceiving everyone around him as the same person. It's that (unfortunately) rare animated film that understands that this medium can tell complex, even terrifying, stories for grown-ups while respecting their intelligence. And it's still gorgeously put together, with seamless movements from the character puppets and evocative lighting and cinematography that puts the film firmly in the uncanny valley. It's a tougher watch than it looks, but the depth of feeling it captures is nothing short of totally human.

Comments

Add a comment

Your name

Your comment

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

The Guilty (2018)

A minimalist, razor-sharp thriller that will have you gasping for air.

9.0

Hitman Hart: Wrestling With Shadows (1998)

A documentary capturing one of the most important transition periods in WWF, through the eyes of Canadian wrestling hero Bret Hart

8.5

Secret Sunshine (2007)

A grieving woman deals with the worst of fates in this challenging, disquieting riverside drama

7.6

Dogleg (2023)

An offbeat, unusual debut feature that’s as uncontrollable as its medium

7.0

Forgotten Love (2023)

The stunning third take of the classic Polish pre-war melodrama

7.7

La Belle Noiseuse (1991)

A sensual, spellbinding masterpiece depicting the creative process and its muse

8.1

Housekeeping for Beginners (2024)

At once understated and powerful, this Macedonian drama shines a necessary light on the complexity of found families

7.8

System Crasher (2019)

A tale of trauma and one of the most talked about movies on Netflix in 2020.

9.0

Infamous (2006)

A slightly embellished, often compared, retelling that depicts the classic novelist’s larger-than-life spirit

7.0

Leave the World Behind (2023)

Shyamalan meets Black Mirror in this hugely entertaining, visually inventive apocalyptic thriller with a killer ending

8.2

Curated by humans, not algorithms.

agmtw logo

© 2024 agoodmovietowatch, all rights reserved.