Anomalisa: Am I The Problem or Is It The World?

I have to get something out of my chest before I start… Kaufman works so well as a writer, at times, masterfully as we’ve seen in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Adaptation, and my favorite, I'm Thinking of Ending Things. However, as a director, I have my reservations. I know it’s not my place to tell Kaufman where best to channel his energy but the truth is, not everyone is good at everything and I think Kaufman’s genius comes as a writer. Even though I enjoyed I'm Thinking of Ending Things; more often than not, I’ve felt Kaufman's full potential is not tapped in when working as a director. 

Directors Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson present us with an intentionally dull character who at some point asked himself the question above. He found an answer to it, which influenced how he lived his life until someone challenged his reasoning. Michael Stone (voiced by David Thewlis) is a successful customer service expert on a business trip in Cincinnati. What was once to find like-minded people in the industry, the purpose of the trip, turned into Stone finding himself, let’s call it a mid-life crisis experience if you will. Speaking of like-minded people, we quickly come to understand that Stone has no patience for most people and frankly, finds every interaction with anyone to be a burden. Whether it’s the cab driver, the receptionist, the porter, or even an old flame, he finds them cut from the same cloth and hence, at their core, not special. 

What is critical to understanding Stone's perspective on life, is the story-telling devices Kaufman uses and how Johnson so seamlessly brings them to life (I wasn’t with them during their creative process but yes, this is how I think they tackled a lengthy almost 2-year production). Stone’s vocal tone is almost oblivious to what is happening around him. He has reached a point where he couldn’t care less about other people and more unsettlingly, his wife and child. He has resorted to dry humor, alcohol, and cigarettes to make him feel something; alive even. It is the norm to have films with main characters that do the heavy load and I mean in the sense of actions. They are proactive rather than reactive. However, it’s impressive how Kaufman and Johnson go against that grain and portray a rich character that essentially doesn’t do much at all. We are mostly living in his head without even knowing. The film doesn’t scream to us: “You are watching an existential and surrealist experience!!” but rather challenges our psyche of what is real and what isn’t. 

After dancing around the halls and lobby bar of the Fregoli hotel like a ghost, Stone’s attention is caught by an unfamiliar voice (you’ll know what I mean), and decides to pursue it until he reaches Lisa (Jennifer Jason Leigh) who is attending the same convention that Stone is presenting in. They start a spontaneous relationship where Stone is forwardly invested in her and she, well, is just looking for someone to validate and accept her. Without even knowing her, Stone is sure she is the answer to her problems, problems that he has not addressed, again, maybe because they are oblivious to him. I have to be honest, I did feel the connection between them to be uncomfortable, predatory, and impulsive. But then, maybe it should be all those things because ultimately, this is an adult animated film. I thought it was interesting how their connection did have romantic moments like when she sings to him or when he gives her the name of Anomalisa but then goes back to feeling eerie maybe as an attempt by the directors to show how the psyche of Stone was battling between what is real and what isn’t, is she really “different”, is he the problem or is the world? Be that as it may, I found this interesting as it challenged me to invest in the dialogue and the atmosphere and draw my own conclusions. Something that many other viewers did and admirably, may I add. Nevertheless, we’ll never know for sure what’s the real meaning or what happens exactly but that’s precisely, in my book, when you know you have a notably executed psychological film in front of you. 

The film kicks up some gears in the second half of the movie after an unsettling sequence with the hotel manager. Such a sequence has to be my favorite part since it was comedically dry and rather creepy. At first glance, two opposite tones that one might find hard to appreciate together in a single sequence yet the way it progressed, was brilliant. For me, it felt like the climax of the movie since it showed a heightened state of the distortion of reality. We could feel the extent of  Stone’s alienation and isolation from everyone which made him close off to the rest of the world. In an actual world where isolation is becoming increasingly an experience for humans, the themes of this movie will feel relatable. While I did, however, have reservations about the characters and the connection between them, I appreciated how meticulously it was created in terms of fantastic production, visuals, casting, and plotline. Lastly, I hugely appreciate it for even discussing such a subject matter that I find it important to explore. So in the end, was Lisa real? Were all the characters the same person? Who cares really, what matters is how you feel after watching the film.