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Waking Life 2001 |
Review by Jonathan Cornwell |
Directed by Richard Linklater
R, 97 min. (language, violent images) |
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Starring: Wiley Wiggins, Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Lorelei Linklater, Timothy Speed Levitch, Louis Mackey, Glover Gill, Bill Wise, Steven Soderbergh, Richard Linklater
Producers: Tommy Pallotta, Jonah Smith, Anne Walker-McBay, Palmer West
Screenplay: Richard Linklater
Distributor: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Released: 10/19/01 (Limited) |
Rating:
  (out of ) |
Waking Life is one of the more intelligent thinking films to come along in quite some time. After a brief detour with
The Newton Boys, director Richard Linklater is back to his forté - using a storyline to pose interesting and probing questions
about life and where we're headed. Almost every intriguing subject about this life is visited - dreams v. reality, reincarnation,
numerous philosophical discussions about existentialism and free will, the quest for purpose, and theories on the universe.
But what makes Waking Life unique is in the way it presents its subject matter. Instead of live action film, Linklater has
developed a variation on animated pictures, using jagged, sometimes blurry and confused outlines of people and places,
thereby giving the film a life all its own. The film was shot in live action and then animators superimposed their work onto
the screen. The result is a surreal picture that matches its subject matter with enthusiasm and purpose. It's also one of
the year's best films.
There's not much in the way of a plot. Names are never used, but we follow the dream-like state of Wiley Wiggins (Dazed & Confused)
as he moves throughout a world in his own mind. He meets various people, ranging from professors to a store clerk, who
give their unique insights into the world around him. It's in this world that Wiggins eventually realizes he's in a dream but
can't awaken. He even begins to wonder if he's dead, with this world an extension of his brain's vision of an afterlife. Finally,
he accepts the fact that he doesn't understand what's happening, but that the nature of his experience is to help him ask
the really important questions in life. The story wisely ends on a note of ambiguity that correctly matches its vagueness.
There are numerous guest appearances throughout the film, including a reprisal of Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy's roles from
Before Sunrise, another Linklater project. Steven Soderbergh, Richard Linklater himself, and others make cameos and
state their individual theories on life's big questions. They help to give weight and clarity to a picture that many viewers will likely
misundertand or dislike because of its approach.
Waking Life is endlessly fascinating because it dares to be different while infusing its uniqueness with zany characters
and a world that's open to interpretation. Certain scenes are clearly detailed while others are so rough you can barely
make them out. Linklater dares to challenge his audience with theories about understanding God and our own questionable
free will in accordance with a higher being that has preset the universe to unfold in a calculated manner. Although many
moviegoers will invariably be wary of Waking Life's boldness, others will clearly identify with what Linklater has achieved
in this picture. It's a film that gets in your mind and stays there for a while.
© 2001 Jonathan Cornwell
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 | Masterpiece - Film perfection |
| Excellent - A Must See |
| Good - Highly Recommended |
| Fair - Worth seeing |
| Average - Viewable, but not recommended |
| Below average - View at own risk |
| Poor - Avoid at all costs |
| Very poor - An embarassment to the film industry |
| Zero | Awful - One of the worst films ever made |
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