[rating=8.00]
The buzz surrounding Swiss Army Man has been steadily building since its initial Sundance screening inspired droves of festival attendees to walk out in disgust. Seeing the movie, it makes sense that movie watchers with little idea of what they were getting into might be turned off by the simple story about a lost man’s friendship with a flatulent corpse. It’s the sort of base, uninspired humor at which the pretentious turn up their noses.
Far from being the death knell, the initial reactions to Swiss Army Man, which went on to take a director’s prize at the famous film festival, seemed to spur greater interest in the film, propelling it right onto the cultural radar in a way that only offense can manage. You couldn’t be faulted for having little interest in the film—not by me, anyway. It’s a conceptually difficult film to get behind, with plenty of gross out moments and literal fart humor standing in the way between you and the sublime.
Sublime. There’s a word that I never expected to use in regards to a film about a farting dead guy, but there it is. Throughout the film—written and directed by Daniel Scheinert and Dan Kwan, billed collectively as Daniels—the audience is taken on a journey of audacious sublimation, exploring the wonders of living and loving in a fantastical dream world where anything feels possible.
This is evidenced right from the start, when Paul Dano’s Hank, stranded on a desert island, comes across the body of Daniel Radcliffe’s Manny, and then proceeds to ride the corpse away from the island like a jet ski powered by farts. Once off the island, Hank begins searching for signs of civilization, Manny in tow. Hank forges a bond with his new dead friend, as the two converse about what it means to be alive and the importance of companionship.
It’s Weekend at Bernie’s through the lens of Michel Gondry and Charlie Kaufman, only more absurd than even that. As the journey continues, Hank begins using Manny’s body for more and more purposes, from shaving to giant canteen to makeshift gun and even best friend. Through Dano, Hank’s isolation is made palpable; we’re given no reason for his being lost and stranded on a desert island; we’re meant only to view it as a sort of metaphor for modern man, lost within himself amidst a sea of unspoken rules and mores with no one to call his own.
For much of the movie, we’re meant to see the world through his eyes, as he offers exposition on the state of the world and of society through his conversations with Manny (who, yes, talks back to him). Much of this is framed through lessons on love, a topic first broached when Manny sees the pictures of Sarah (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) on Hank’s phone. The relationship between Hank and Manny intensifies as Hank begins cosplaying as Sarah to help Manny better understand the powerful effect of romantic attraction.
Radcliffe supports this concept beautifully as Manny, playing the role with a childlike fascination for ideas he has no basis for understanding. For the first time in his post-Harry Potter career, Radcliffe sheds the weight of his wizarding robes to display the kind of fearless skill it takes to become a truly successful actor. If the unthinkable were to happen in the coming weeks, he would be remembered as an actor for his performance here every bit as much as he’d be remembered as a star for Harry Potter. If this is any indication of his true abilities, we can expect true greatness to come from the young star.
For the most part, Swiss Army Man is a movie that’s worthy of both admiration and adoration; it’s hilarious, heart-warming, thought provoking, life affirming, and wonderful. The key phrase there, however, is “for the most part.” For about 88 of the film’s 95 minutes, I was convinced of its perfection, and firmly believed it was the best movie I’ve seen so far this year. I still do believe that, for the most part. However, the entire concept falls apart, to near the point of ruin, as the movie reaches its closing moments. It’s difficult to get into here without ruining the movie, and I don’t wish to do so for anyone who desires to see it.
I will say that the film’s theme is flipped, almost entirely, in its closing moments, which felt like an unnecessary attempt to over explain, negating the ambiguity that was built into the film and forcing the audience to take everything that preceded it at face value. This sullies both the point and the beauty of the work as a whole, which was to say the least disappointing. It was akin to watching a perfect no-hitter get destroyed by a series of home runs in the ninth. No matter how perfect the game was up to that moment, near perfect doesn’t amount to much when the history books are written.
Still, it’s hard to discount a film entirely for 88 minutes of perfection, even if it’s almost ruined in the end. As a whole, it’s a magical work of art that deserves your time and your thought. That in itself is a remarkable achievement in this day and age, and it’s hard to deny the emotional impact of the journey overall. Whether the ending works for you or not, Swiss Army Man is positively a one-of-a-kind movie going experience that will stay with you for long after the lights go up.
Swiss Army Man is now playing in theaters everywhere.
