Anomalisa, Charlie Kaufman's latest creation
72 Grand Prix at the Venice Film Festival
Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Film
Yesterday was the premiere of Anomalisa, it seems a bit like an alien word, a bit like its renowned director and screenwriter, who had fallen into oblivion since 2008 despite his masterpieces: In the skin of John Malkovich and Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind.
Charlie Kaufman had written a play, A Play that Was Performed with the Help of Several Actors Accompanied by Cards to tell the story. This story, Anomalisa pleased Paramount, Kaufman, who had trouble financing his films (who could have believed it), finds himself excited by this crazy project, yes, crazy we can say it!
But he does not go alone, it is accompanied by Duke Johnson young and talented director, a little extra-terrestrial too because to make an episode of Community, it takes; that Charlie Kaufman agrees to shoot an animated film entirely in stop-motion.
Bet held, bet won. Anomalisa tells us the story of a man or everyone. A man plunged into deep boredom who would like to distract himself. This man's name is Michael Stone, but we could call him whatever we want. A successful author who allows his readers to increase their turnover through a method of service to customers.
Michael Stone leaves for his conference in Cincinnati. It's raining, and Michael pisses himself off, away from his wife and kid; He is haunted by his ex. Obviously, she lives in the same city. He contacted her after eleven years to deceive boredom, yes to deceive boredom; Who has never tried to find palliatives on a daily basis, in the boring routine? But it is a failure.
The pace of the film is as slow as its boredom!
Back in his hotel room, he drinks, he is bored. He goes to get a gift for his son, he is bored, he takes a bath, he is bored, he hears a voice…
But this voice, this voice could change the course of its history. Is he delusional? Are we delirious with him? He seizes his chance, needs a change, Michael goes in search of a voice… His way?
We can all put a little of ourselves in Michael, to a passage of his life in which he asks existential questions, Why life? Or How to exist? Wanting to be happy after falling asleep in your life…
There is no sympathy created for the characters, we follow this episode of Michael's life, we find ourselves confused, titillated. The encounters, the fear of being crazy, that of missing his life or of missing out…It is a crying out for truth, naturalistic, realistic scenario. That's why he confuses us, probably guided by the strangeness of the characters with their faces composed in several parts, these characters who are all alike except the main ones…Fregoli syndrome, strange hotel name… a bit like… a disease! Masks, social masks?
Like a desire for truth after sinking into the throes of boredom…Michael is this person who has locked himself so much in his daily life that the need for change is made, brutal, with a little touch of madness … a desire for Anomaly…Lisa, touching woman with a special voice, touching peculiarities…Anomaly…Lisa…Anomalisa…As if to define the anomalies that occur. Michael's name is Lisa, sweet anomaly…
Stop-motion is not just for children, especially do not take your children to see Anomalisa for that matter. It's realistic so it's raw, it's us, it's everyday life without lying. There is sex, awkward sex, ugly sex, tender sex… It's… realistic.
This film does not make you happy but doubtful. It opens a door that we know all too well…Will you go?!
Last night, there was the Paramount Director, producer Rosa Tran, Duke Johnson and…Charlie Kaufman!
In the characters, there is a bit of Duke's brother-in-law and a bit of an actress crossed in a bar in Los Angeles but it's a secret!
It's long stop-motion, it takes weeks, sometimes months, the shooting of the erotic scene between Michael and Lisa for example lasted 6 months!
– It's a film, a film a bit like life, a bit like boredom, in which human failings are exposed, a bit like life, a bit like people but… as we do not see them.
