Review: Anomalisa

On first glance, this was definitely the type of stop-motion animation we don't usually see. It's not clay like in Wallace & Gromit, it's more like puppets that are being used. The film that I feel is the closest to Anoamlisa is the 2004 adventure Strings or even Team America: The World Police where the entire film is puppets with strings.
However, this one seems to be puppets that can stand on their own.

Nominated at the Oscars for Best Animated film and getting high praise from various film festivals, this was one definitely intriguing to see how it all works.

I do like director and writer Charlie Kaufman's work, especially for his work on one of the best films of all-time, Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind. His vast imagination really got me and that made me really intrigued in where this would go.

However I must say straight away, that I was disappointed. Thankfully, there is stuff to like. But boy do I have problems with this.

Yes, the animation is highly captivating. But the unusual story and the way the characters are written troubled and ended up with a bland outcome in my honest opinion.
I get what Kaufman and his team was trying to do. The feeling of isolation and that everyone is the same person in your eyes, and then you finally find someone different. But I just did not get it, be invested in it or even care enough to appreciate it.
Too many things were bugging me and I am gutted that I did not join the majority. I did try, I really did. But sadly, not for me.

The film was giving hints of something else happening. I honestly thought that there was going to be a huge Matrix like twist and that would make me end up loving the film for being that clever. Sadly, it remained on the path it had been on throughout the movie.

The main thing that usually does not get people interested is not caring for the main characters. We are meant to sympathize with this main character who is out of luck and being fed up with the world. For me, I felt he was doing things in the film that made me not root for him and therefore lost interest in the film. It was a real shame as I can feel the love on how stop-motion films are made.
I could even call this a sexist film as my main problem could involve sexism. All the supporting characters whether they be male or female or voiced by one man. It really bugged me throughout. Again, I can see what Kaufman was trying to do. But that just did make me react in the way the director wanted.

There is also one awkward scene that instantly made me want to watch Team America: World Police again. You can probably tell what the scene entails.

Despite a lot of negatives vibes coming from fingers as I type this. I will give it its due. The animation is great and the story is a brave one. But in the end, I would call this an honorable failure. It has really good moments. But the amount of problems I got from it was too much too ignore.
Kaufman's work is an acquired taste. It seems to polarize me. One of his works I will love till the end of time, the rest I admire but have no desire to watch them again.

Rating: 7/10