brilliantbrown

9 of 10 stars

So, I finally got out to see A Scanner Darkly last night. Like I said I would, I drove 2+ hours to Atlanta, where it was playing. I must say, I was (and still am) impressed.

animation

The rotoscoped animation, while beautiful, was subdued and extremely lifelike; unlike Richard Linklater’s previous film Waking Life, which was a constantly shifting mess of a dream, where you never knew what was going to pop out of someone’s ear or mouth or materialize out of thin air. Instead the animation of A Scanner Darkly enhances the dreamlike nature of this film, while staying grounded (to a degree) in a recognizable reality. Linklater tries to make the few special effects part of the overall reality of the film, this way you don’t know what is real and what is not and you’re forced, as the viewer, to make some of your own decisions about what you’re seeing. There was no part in this movie where you go, “Oh that’s CG” or “that’s an effect”, because the whole film is an effect. For the most part, however, the animation is so sublime that there were times where I forgot I was watching an animated film. Then, there are other times where the animation is used to do things that cannot be done in practical photography.

story & plot

The animation doesn’t come off as gimicky because the story is, in my opinion, so well written. Getting past the animation, this is a very good film that would fly well as a plain vanilla live action film. This is, no doubt, a testament to Phillip K. Dick, of who’s book this film is based, and the screenwriters who translated his vision into a script. That script, by the way, must have been a thick bastard, because this was an extremely character-based film. There’s so much talking that someone with a short attention span could easily be bored. I knew to expect this as “Waking Life” is an extremely talkative film. As much as I love the visual style of “Waking Life”, it is a film that I cannot watch if I am even the least bit sleepy. I only say this to warn those who think this is going to be an action packed slugfest, cause… it ain’t.

The plot of this film is a slippery, twisty one. The premise being that in the near future, 20% of the population is addicted to a drug called Substance D. The protaganist, played by Keanu Reeves, is an undercover cop named “Fred” on a Substance D task force, who lives a double life as a Substance D addict, known as Robert. The side effects of prolonged use of this drug are psychosis (hallucinaitons, disjointed reality and possible multiple personalities). The story is kicked off when Agent Fred is asked to investigate Robert, a suspected drug kingpin. No one panic, that is not a spoiler. That’s the basic premise of the film. I’ve told you nothing that doesn’t happen past the first 2o minutes of this film. Past this point, the plot goes kinda crazy, as you see the world through the eyes of Fred/Robert. You see his hallucinations and feel his paranoia.

At times this movie is funny, such as watching way the junkies just sit around and talk about junkie stuff. At times this film is confusing, but it’s supposed to be. There’s tension and apprehension as the story ramps up. I never took my eyes off of the screen. I had a blastie watching this film. When the credits rolled, I felt like I knew what the director/author/screenwriter was trying to get across. I didn’t feel that sensation of feeling cheated by a director who left the end of the film way too open. I was satisfied that I was presented with a great story, with a fully fleshed out plot, and a beautiful picture. This film has the obvious commentary on drug use and drug enforcement, but at no point does it come across as preachy. I got in my car and thought, “I can’t wait for this to come out on DvD!”

almost unrelated

Black Swan, off Thom Yorke’s new Solo album The Eraser, plays over the end credits. It’s an awesome piece of a phenomenal album. If you like Radiohead, give this album a listen! Sorry to get off topic like that.

recommendation

I will admit that it may not be for everyone. For example, the friend I went to see this film with was completely confused as we walked out of the the cinema. I spent most of the ride home, explaining to her what we just saw. This lets me know that some people won’t get it. For this reason, I feel it deserves 9 stars instead of the 10 I really want to assign. If you feel like you’re up to the challenge and you can find it playing near you, as it is still in very limited release, go see it. I highly recommend this film to anyone who enjoys movies where you have to invest a few brain cells.