Cinematography:
Larkin SeipleCast:
Paul Dano, Daniel Radcliffe, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Andy Hull, Shane Carruth, Antonia Ribero, Richard GrossVOD (3)
Plots(1)
We all need some body to lean on. A wholly original, enormously entertaining, and deeply heartfelt look at what it means to be human, Swiss Army Man is the feature film debut of acclaimed music video directors Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan. Bursting with limitless creativity in both form and content, Swiss Army Man goes from the absurd to the emotional to the whimsical to the profound and back again. Hank (Paul Dano) is stranded on a deserted island, having given up all hope of ever making it home again. But one day everything changes when a corpse named Manny (Daniel Radcliffe) washes up on shore; the two become fast friends, and ultimately go on an epic adventure that will bring Hank back to the woman of his dreams. (Madman Entertainment)
(more)Reviews (7)
I honestly don't know what to write here! When I saw the trailer, I immediately said I just wanted to see this, even though I kind of knew it was going to be slightly twisted and bizarre. And actually, I wasn't too wrong! Swiss Army Man can't be denied its original and novel theme, which is impressive, but also a bit disgusting. We follow the crazy adventures of a castaway and his dying friend, characterised in particular by a complete disrespect for the human body and organs. At times it reminded me a bit of a Michel Gondry film (e.g. Be Kind Rewind), mainly because of the handmade sets that were meant to mimic reality. The last ten or fifteen minutes were very awkward for me, as it seemed like the film lost its breath there and didn't know how to end. In short, a film that is not for everyone, in fact I can't even say it was my cup of tea and I do like black and slightly politically incorrect humour, but I still recommend it if you want to see something you haven't seen before. P. S. "If you don't know Jurassic Park, you know shit."
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A corpse played by Daniel Radcliffe as the kindred spirit of a suicidal outsider played by Paul Dano? Why not?! An irresistibly imaginative and surprising cinematic flight of fancy packed with friendship, farting, existential ideas and personal fragments of life, among which each of us can find “their own”.
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51st KVIFF - bugger me! That was bizarre, my dead friend! The change of tone at the end was brutal. But it should have come a couple of seconds earlier.
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The film's excess of originality and bizarreness can by no means be denied, but it was probably too much for me. I didn't have much fun. I didn't find it funny at all, but there are some thought-provoking dialogues and the scene with the bear is quite good. The melancholic ending was the biggest highlight, it evoked emotions in me and played the right notes. 60%.
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I wasn’t excited about this film at all, and I expected to rate this really low, but if a film can entertain me and make me laugh against my own will, there must be something to it. It sure was silly beyond belief, but Daniel Radcliffe really got me here. The grimace (I can't call it a face, not here) that he managed to keep up the entire time, and to which he sometimes added a half-mad, toothy grin as a bonus, was in itself worth an extra star. From now on, I will no longer look at necrophiles as perverts. I had no idea how much quality time you can have with a corpse. Only the conclusion was quite disappointing, otherwise, the rating would have been even higher.
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When you come across a film like this, you either turn it off after a few minutes or you enjoy its bizarreness from start to finish. For example, I enjoyed the perverted yet great ideas from start to finish. This is really the type of film that you don't see every day, so I have to recommend it, because you probably won't see many films like it.
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I wonder if I've ever seen a weirder film and... no, I don't think so. This weird film about friendship, love and conventions probably won't suit everyone, I myself spent two hours pondering how many stars to award; there was probably too much farting for me. :-) What I have to appreciate, though, is that after the scene of Daniel's bare ass farting as a propulsion for the awesome frolicking at sea, I would not have expected anything else to impress me. And yet, the bus ride and Manny making contact with Sarah was beautiful. Otherwise, both actors deliver solid performances. This is probably the first time I've seen Paul Dano play anyone other than a creepy or sleazy bad guy, and it's a nice change for me. I expected a good performance from Daniel Radcliff, as he is the only one of the central trio of Hogwarts apprentices to break out of his role as a wizard in The Woman in Black and ceased to be Harry Potter for me after the last part of the saga. His deadpan expressions are fabulous, especially the expression of the happy corpse. So in the end, and even though the film has a lot of nice moments, I can't give it more than 3 stars because it left me with a lot of mixed feelings and because it was just weird :-)
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