The steadiness of repetition is detrimental to a best-selling author whose daily occurances are on repeat. From the mind of one of the greatest screenwriters of our time Charlie Kaufman, comes “Anomalisa”. Michael Stone (Voiced by David Thewlis), an author that specializes in customer service, is a man who is unable to interact deeply with other people. His low sensitivity to excitement, and his lack of interest made him a man with a repetitive life on his own perspective. His life and social experiences changes for the better while on a business trip, when he meets Lisa (Voiced by Jennifer Jason Leigh), an extraordinary stranger whose differences in traits has him seeing another human being differently for the first time in his life. This chance encounter slowly becomes a cure for his negative view on people that possibly will change his mundane life for the better. Kaufman offers a stop-motion experience like you’ve never seen before, offering the audience a movement in animation that is very human-like for such a technology. The film was funded VIA Kickstarter and was originally intended to be a forty minute short.

For it’s art direction alone, “Anomalisa” is the perfect kick-off to my 5th year of reviewing films. The designs and concepts that went in to such a presentation are breathtaking alone, but Kaufman’s latest effort is one that covers the spectrum of every possible human emotion from it’s audience. For a majority of this film, I was left frozen in panic, fear, sadness, enchantment, and even hilarity, as the film’s main protagonist is a mixed bag of reactions. One thing that Kaufman does quite extraordinarily is he writes everyday characters from the heart. His creations and ideas are never ones that are intended to be adored or supported, but reflective of the kinds of obstacles that we go through in our own lives. Because of that, “Anomalisa” might just be my very personal favorite of Kaufman’s impressive filmography. I saw so much of myself in the character of Michael. From the toned down reactions to other people’s excitment, to the inability to ever feel fully satisfied with romantic interests, I found a diagnosis in this film that put me at comfort for telling me that I’m not alone. The script never feels forced to move in one direction or another, and there’s a lot of appreciation I have for a self-interpretive kind of screenplay. I love a film that has it’s puzzles, and “Anomalisa” is certainly full of them. Without spoiling much, I will metion a few of the hidden gems that I picked up on. First of all, every character but the main two are voiced by the same man in the film. He voices them all with the same voice as a reflection of Michael’s views on everybody being the same and his desire to find someone different to inspire him. This is made more evident by the name of the hotel that Michael stays at called The Fregoli Hotel. The Fregoli Delusion is a rare syndrome in which the patient believes that multiple people are actually the same person in disguise. This is one of many keys to unlock the very mysteries of the film’s psyche. The film’s title alone is a play on words with the word “Anomaly” being the standout word.

The film’s main two characters find solace in each other, mainly because they are outcasts to a society that has passed them by. Lisa is shy and often overlooked for her more physically endowed friend, so it’s a bit of a surprise when Michael shows her interest. Jennifer Jason Leigh did a really impressive job of making this character come to life. I forgot so many times who was voicing this girl, and a lot of that is because Leigh’s slow but steady reveal of the kind of personality that Lisa has. She has a lot of nervous quirks, but Michael is able to slowly open her up to feeling comfortable. It makes for brilliantly awkward banter between them. Perhaps the bright spot of Lisa is in a mellow vocal performance of Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”, in which Leigh herself actually sings. I mentioned Michael’s very puzzle of emotions before, but his character is enjoyable even despite some rude tones early on. The problem that I had with his character is that Michael, nor the script ever really opens him up enough for the audience to get a grasp on the past suffering of such a character. We get just a taste of who this man was, but his bright days might be behind him.

I saved the best for last, and that’s in the gorgeous stop-motion animation. If this were a Pixar project, nothing would be as impressive, but the real challenge with stop-motion is that every little movement has to have it’s own shot and set up. This makes for literally months and months of different shots to craft the 90 minute film that you end up with. Kaufman and animation expert Duke Johnson make this world come to life with so many creative shots that spoil us in live-action form, but are rarely seen in this kind of profession of filmmaking. The lighting of the hotel is perfect, the reflection of characters in Michael’s glasses is mesmerizing in detail, and the impressive long continuous shots down the hallway is something you never see in claymation style. The movie’s various camera angles will have you questioning the technique in sheer appreciation for the craft. This all gives the film an artistic side besides just another beautiful looking animation film years ahead of its time.

Overall, “Anomalisa” is an early year surprise during a month famous for it’s losses. The movie serves as a visual highlight during the prestigious career of Kaufman, while offering the audience a real thought provoker for introverted cinema. The movie isn’t just style though, the substance is full of eerie surrealism material represented in our everyday lives. You may or may not find yourself relating to these characters, but one thing is for certain; it’s cryptic secrets require multiple viewings. GREAT playback value.

9/10