Waking Life Review
by Tim Wick
Welcome to yet another installment in my "too late for you to do anything
about it because the movie is already almost gone" category of reviews.
In this series, I review films that have been around for a while - a long
while. Because I am not a real critic, it's not like I get the invitations
to the swanky premieres where they hand out all the groovy press materials.
That means that quite often for one reason or another, I have to wait a
while to get to see the movies I really want to see in the theatres.
Sometimes (as in the case of this year's Sexy Beast), I don't actually get
to see the movie at all. Other times, I find a way to get to the theatre.
Why oh why did I wait so long to see Waking Life when I managed to get to
Spy Game on opening weekend, you ask? It's a long story, but the basic
point is that the Lagoon is a long way away and that means baby sitters cost
more. In my defense, I only just rented Swordfish so I don't go to every
action/adventure/science fiction film on the weekend it is released.
Just most of them.
Anyway, Waking Life is a film that you will either really get in to or one
that will put you to sleep. I don't think the film has in it the ability to
generate equal parts hatred and admiration (like A.I.). The best
description I can give is that the film is a 90 minute illustrated
existentialist textbook. There is a lot of theory and a lot of talking and
a lot of meaningful quotes thrown around. The film seems something like a
Philosophy major's doctoral thesis at times. Only a lot more interesting.
My point here is that I quite enjoyed Waking Life but I'd wager that most
people who read this review will not. That means my review is going to
spend time focusing on all the reasons you might not want to see the movie
because it is not for everyone and you should have the ammunition to decide
if it's for you.
First off, the film is in a kinetic animation style. Couches, hair, tables,
streets, eyeballs and just about everything else are constantly pulsing and
undulating in a way that actually made my wife car sick. While wholly
appropriate for a film that takes place entirely in a dream universe, it
really can get distracting and ultimately nauseating for some people. If
you got sick watching The Blair Witch Project, you should avoid this
movie.
Second, much of the film is scripted like a philosophy lecture. The person
through whom we are exploring this endless dream state is spending most of
his time listening to people discussing the nature of dreaming, waking and
mortality. It's pretty heavy stuff. The animation style I just warned you
about makes the whole film a lot more interesting to watch than just a bunch
of lectures or interviews. Characters shift and change as they impart their
world view to us. The world around them morphs into all manner of things as
well. It's as if their theories are made real simply because of their
conviction that their theory is reality. I really liked that idea.
However, if you aren't looking to go to movies for deep, meaningful lectures
on the nature of existence, you shouldn't run out and see this one.
Third, there really isn't a "plot" to speak of. The movie is a series of
vignettes loosely tied together by the concept of our waking life versus our
dreaming one. Ultimately the thin plot revolves around our point of view
characters' recognition that he is in a dream and then his attempts to
return to a waking life. But the plot is just an interesting way to tie
together the theories that are being imparted by people who may have been
actors and may have just been modern philosophers enjoying a chance to
impart their advanced theories on an unsuspecting public. I don't much
care. I found the theories really interesting. You might just find them
boring.
So if you have made it this far and still would like to see the movie, by
all means you should go. My observations above were not criticism's of the
film, but observations of the reasons I expect the film has a rather limited
audience. For all it's health related issues, the animation is perfectly
suited to the story. Dreams are always in flux - just as they are in this
movie. While perhaps a bit more intellectual than most of my dreams, I
won't quibble as I found the theory fascinating.
I do have to admit there were a few moments where the film dragged. I would
also say that the movie did not go far enough. There were several fine
sequences where the talker became less and less human as they went on. I
liked that surreal quality and missed it when it wasn't there. I always
think of my dreams as becoming crazier and crazier as the night wears on. I
think the same should have happened here. That it didn't is probably the
difference between a movie I liked and a movie I would have loved.
I am very serious when I say Waking Life is not for everyone. I can think
of many people I would strongly encourage to stay away from this film. I
don't think they are stupid or have no taste. I just don't think they will
enjoy it.
I can think of many others who would enjoy the film for what it is. I can
only hope that my review gives you some idea which group you fall in to.
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