I sit here in my shady corner, contemplating the meaning of our existance as I am one to regularly do. The blue toy car I recently recieved from a Kinder Egg argues with me that to truly exist, one must make a mark on the society the person in question attempts to call itself a part of. A daunting task to say the least, and while I may not agree fully with the toy car being targetted to save me from accusations of schizophrenia, I accept the challenge with glee. Now, making a mark on society could come in many forms. I prefer nukes. But, lately my stock of the wondrous, peace-making bombs has been running a tad dry. Thus, I will instead indulge myself in a film that was requested. Waking Life, it's called. I had never heard of it, so suffice to say, when the request fell into the shadowy corner of my domain, I had to quickly make myself aware of this movie. My interest flared, so what follows are the toy car's, and my, findings.
What!? Moving pictures?!
When a film takes a step away from live-action it usually results in animated sequences, or simply a series of images displayed at a painfully slow rate. Waking Life takes this further by being filmed completely with a technique called Rotoscopy. For those of you too lazy to follow the previous link, rotoscopy is an animation technique in which the animators trace over an live-action sequence, frame by frame. Hardcore, I know, and the result is something that looks innovative, mind blowing, and like you're high at the same time. My toy car assures me I am not high, and that it really does look like that all along. A very free style of animation, and Waking Life does it well. You get the abstract feeling, carried well along with the theme of the film.
High-strung men, and low-key women?
There's not much to say of the acting in this movie, as can be said with any animated movie. The actors that have been drawn over deliver their lines with free-spirited enthusiasm. It doesn't feel as if though anything is really overperformed, or underperformed for that matter. (Toy car note: It's quite possible to bore during an animated movie, he's went to tune his engine during such films many a time.) Most of the conversation carried in Waking Life are direct philosophical arguments and views, and the movie touches on quite a few aspects on life, freedom, death, reincarnation, dreaming, politics, and free will. It also brings up a few more pointers on other subjects, but mainly, that's the gist of it.
Thriller or Chiller?
The story follows a supposedly young man whose' name we may or may not ever be told. He seems to be stuck in a dreamlike state where he stumbles upon various people of dubious reality, and most of the movie entails him listening to the views and philosophies of others. It is to me, not much of a story you would follow intensely, but you let yourself flow along the abstract storyline and let the words of wisdom seep into your mind.
The end.. or is it?
In conclusion, Waking Life is a strangely odd addition to the movie dungeon in my gloomy corner, but it does definately have an aftertaste that makes you both think, and quite possibly nod to yourself at the latent wisdom contained within. It's one of those movies which will never appeal to everyone, but those who enjoy more than the basic story-less shooting movies, this may be a pleasing experience. All in all, a very special movie, and watching it will grant you either a confirmation of abstract thought, or a thoughtful 90 minutes.
Waking Life rating: 79% - Strange, but does what it wants very well. Recommended.
No comments:
Post a Comment