I have a hard time writing about Charlie Kaufman's work. His directorial debut, Synecdoche, NY, is a movie that bulldozes me every time I see it. I've been wanting to write about it for the past seven years, and always just end up staring at a blank screen. Part of me is afraid that instead of writing about the movie proper, I'll spend too much time discussing the number of scenes that I could apply to my own life. There's an unflinching cynicism to Kaufman's screenplays, so much so that many are turned off and repelled by them. Look deeper and you'll find buried beneath an honesty that is so raw and true that it's painful to admit how much it resembles staring at yourself in a mirror. As evident as the pain is in Kaufman's world, there is also plenty of rich humor based on the misunderstandings and stubbornness we possess by being human. His insight into what makes us tick is explored in ways that are startlingly fresh.
Kaufman's latest, Anomalisa, which he co-directed with Duke Johnson, features a cast made up completely of puppets created using a 3D printer. This approach has allowed Kaufman to take this material (based on a play he wrote) and explore it with an extraordinary amount of freedom. The result is exhilarating and devastating in equal measure, as Kaufman breaths new life into the power of animation and is able to, in the way only he can, create complex and sympathetic characters despite their strange and somewhat unsettling look. Even with puppets, Kaufman is able to pull off numerous scenes in the movie that are almost unbearably heartbreaking.
I am hesitant to get into the details of Anomalisa. Like all of Kaufman's work, it is best to go in with a limited amount of information and be caught off guard by the endlessly creative ways he is able to develop his characters and their feelings. Watching the movie, there are many cases where a scene could easily dissolve into cheap melodrama and in lesser hands, it probably would. But Kaufman is always one step ahead of us, ready to pull back another layer to reveal something that is as surprising as it is familiar. The method in which he gives his characters their voices is as brilliant as anything he has ever done in terms of how it affects the bigger picture.
Anomalisa is a true work of art, challenging, funny, hopelessly relatable, and sad as only the best works of art can be. The weight of Kaufman's world becomes ours, and while it certainly isn't an easy burden to share, the rewards of doing so are rich and unforgettable. No one else makes movies like this, or really ever has. Nor has anyone else had the guts to try. What I'm saying is that Kaufman is a treasure and we're lucky to have him. Here's hoping that all the positive buzz Anomalisa has generated will keep us from waiting seven more years before his next movie. I don't think I could bear it.
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(c)Hell and Beyond, 2015
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