Man wakes up in a dream, and then into another, and then another, etc. One of the few movies, I have watched, then sat for 10 minutes, then watched immediately again. The narrative is made up of conversations and lectures from real people(often actors playing actors and professors playing professors, etc), who were then animated over, in technology developed specifically for this film(now being seen advertisements).
The subject of these dream discussions include identity, free will, evolution, language, rebelliion, apathy, conversation, sex, film, God, death, dreams, memories, etc. Some vignettes are funny, some disturbing, some pretentious, some relaxed engaging, some didactic, some inquisitive, and others more like poems aborted mid-stream. This is not a plot driven film, it's a series of vignettes not unlike an earlier Linklater film "Slacker"(if you liked this movie, Slacker is the 90's no-budget equivalent).
If you enjoy thinking for thinking's sake, putting ideas together and then taking them apart like building blocks, you will enjoy this movie. Few films have had quite the impact on me that this did the first time around, I showed it to just about everyone I knew, and while a few gave me the standard "What the fuck is this, shit's wierd", more than a few were left just as blown away as I was. Cynics will of course associate this film with a coffee shop, no attention span culture, jittering pretentious ideas bieng typed a mile a minute by spectacled hipsters, etc. However this is an unfortunate reduction of a film, that has generated more interesting ideas in it's first 15 minutes alone than most film's do after years of academic discussion.
Watching this movie made me feel aware for the first time, that I was no longer living in the 20th century, that things were and could be different, and that new langauges and systems would have to be made to describe and implement new experiences and new ways of doing things, this movie was the beginning... perhaps I was getting a bit ahead of myself, but that's what I liked about this movie, it's own granduer, ridiculousness, and ambition are infectious and life affirming, where often films of this artistic caliber can be obstuse or de-humanizing.
There are no characters to empathize here with, just ideas and beautiful visuals(from dozens of animators with varrying styles), so if your not to interested in the discussion you can always just tune out and watch the colors dance, it's as much a treat for the eyes as it is a delight for the brain, as well as ears, the "Tosca Tango Orchestra" perform the music, which keeps everythingh swirling at a nice pace. I could go on like this forever, it's a good movie see it, if not see something else.
Like reading a great novel. The words which pour out of these kids mouths, are at times completely natural and others poetic and rich. This is not your typical independent film, dealing with "life amongst the poor", in fact though destitute the setting is kinda magical and Utopian. (George doesn't get harassed, assaulted, while patrolling the neighborhood with a cape? Adults and children, speak to each other with no recognition of age, etc.) But none of this distracts from the "realism" of the story or characters, well realism is the wrong word...naturalism seems more fitting.
A group of friends in North Carolina (all played by real people, no actors) deal with boredom, crushes, and growing up, until tragedy strikes, and changes them all, some attempt to escape, others take to lofty (super-heroesque) heroism.
May seem a bit slow to some, but it's sincerely one of the best movies I've ever seen, it has a life and uniqueness all it's own which is difficult to put into words. I'd heard whispers of this movie for years, and now that I've finally seen it, I understand exactly the reasons for the hushed admiration and awe.
A moving and inspiring masterpiece, I wish there were more like this...for one it's a film with non-middle class black characters, which doesn't immediately fall into clichés of race, class, etc, allowing the characters to grow into actual 3 dimensional human forms, and not just sacrificial lambs for heavy handed social tragedy (Okay I'm getting a bit off point, and maybe personalizing this, but it did make a difference in my appreciation, and perhaps Gordon's directing. In the Charlie Rose Interview (for those of you with the DVD), Gordon mentions for instance using ambient and string music as opposed to traditionally expected "hip hop" or "urban music". It's small details like this which help establish the films tone apart from it's environment, and to show how tranquil and mystical even junkyards and vacant lots can seem to fresh eyes and minds.)....Anywho it's a great film.
"I just wish I had my own tropical island, I wish... I wish I was... I could go to China, I wish I could go out of The States... I wish I had my own planet, I wish I... I wish there were 200 of me, man... I wish I could just sit around with computers and technology and just brainstorm all day man. I wish I was born again... I wish I could get saved and give my life to Christ... then maybe he can forgive me for what I did... I wish there was just one belief... my belief."
Waking Life
R
George Washington
Unrated
