Anomalisa (2015)

☆ ☆ ☆

Anomalisa (2015) – D. Johnson & C. Kaufman

Whereas I appreciate the “craft” involved in creating this stop-motion puppet movie, the end result is far too much of a weird downer for my tastes at the moment.  I generally enjoy the weird and have enjoyed some of Charlie Kaufman’s earlier efforts (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, even Synecdoche New York). However, apart from the protagonists being puppets, the conceit here (that all the minor characters are voiced by Tom Noonan, male or female, and have the same facial features) makes the film feel flatter rather than heightens its appeal.  The plot, which tracks a man staying in a hotel for a conference across a single night during which he questions his past, present, and possible future relationships, is unafraid to wallow in psychological insecurity and distress.  But that’s not an altogether enjoyable way to spend 90 minutes (and a realistically awkward puppet sex scene is something I could probably have done without).  So, are there moments of authentic humanity here?  I think so – and David Thewlis and Jennifer Jason Leigh do bring the puppets to life – but the ratio of mundanity to surrealism was far too high.