Plot
A man crippled by the mundanity of his life experiences something out of the ordinary.
Release Year: 2015
Rating: 8.1/10 (1,267 voted)
Critic's Score: 93/100
Director: Duke Johnson
Stars: David Thewlis, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tom Noonan
Storyline
Michael Stone, an author that specializes in customer service, is a man who is unable to interact deeply with other people. His low sensitivity to excitement, and his lack of interest made him a man with a repetitive life on his own perspective. But, when he went on a business trip, he met a stranger - an extraordinary stranger, which slowly became a cure for his negative view on life that possibly will change his mundane life.
Writers: Charlie Kaufman, Charlie Kaufman
Cast: David Thewlis -
Michael Stone
(voice)
Jennifer Jason Leigh -
Lisa
(voice)
Tom Noonan -
Everyone else
(voice)
Trivia:
Co-director Duke Johnson stated it took six months for him to animate the sex scene because of technical reasons and making the scene realistic as opposed to comedic. See more »
Goofs:
When Lisa is explaining their drive down from Akron said, "The 71, pretty much went straight to Cincinnati." It is a very specific regional California trait to preface their highways with "the" (i.e. "The 101" or "the 405") - an Ohioan would have never used this phrasing and instead referred to it as I-71. See more »
Quotes:
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User Review
Author:
Rating: 8/10
"Anomalisa" is in my opinion one of this year's most important films.
The film centres on Michael Stone, a depressed customer service guru
who struggles to connect with others, finally meeting someone he can
truly connect with - a woman named Lisa.
Anyone familiar with Kaufman's work knows that he has a tendency to
write incredibly deep and complex stories embedded with a plethora of
themes. "Anomalisa" might just be the one exception (or anomaly) to
that fact. The story is surprisingly simple; most of it takes place
over the course of 24 hours. The messages behind it, fortunately, will
still require multiple viewings and further analysis in order to be
fully grasped. The final synthesis is elegantly woven to near
perfection and is at times humorous and even thrilling. Running at only
90 minutes, the film never feels slow nor bloated. I believe
"Anomalisa" is a good starting point for those just starting to get
into Kaufman's filmography.
The stop-motion animation is some of the best that I have ever seen on
the big screen. For a project that was funded on Kickstarter, I have to
say that the quality of the animation is the equivalent to what you
would see in an Aardman Animations or Laika production - if not better.
There were certain shots that made me stop and really appreciate the
efforts that the team went through just to make all of their
characters' movements flow realistically. Kudos to them!
The reasons why I think "Anomalisa" is one of this year's most
important films not only have to do with the way the film was financed
and produced, but that it also opens up a dialogue on isolation and
social disillusionment - they are usually seen as flaws inherent only
within the individual, despite the fact that everyone plays some part
in furthering it.
"Anomalisa" is a true work of art on many levels. It is a simple story
that touches on a wide range of emotions, riddled with the complexities
of our perceptions on relationships. Do not be surprised if this film
makes you laugh more than cry. Do not be surprised if this film makes
you cry more than laugh - for that is the true beauty of this anomaly
of a film.
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