Swiss Army Man (2016) Review!!

Synopsis – A hopeless man stranded on a deserted island befriends a dead body and together they go on a surreal journey to get home.

My Take – Initially gaining popularity as ‘The Farting Corpse film’, this Jury Prize Winning title at the Sundance Film Festival generated the most vocal reaction amongst festival goers for it’s ridiculous, now infamous, farting dead body played by Daniel Radcliffe. During the festival, some members of the audience walked out, whole others complained about the film’s uncouth behavior. Having seen the film yesterday, I must agree to one thing – Yes, it’s outrageous! But is also simply one of the best films of the year! To those of you who often complain that there’s nothing original to watch in theaters anymore, writing/directing team Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert have come to the rescue. The writer/director duo Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, collectively known as “the Daniels“, have a reputation for ridiculous and highly entertaining short films and music videos, and this feature represents a conglomerate of numerous ideas that may sound bad on paper yet somehow all work. It’s really impressive how impressively unique and uncompromised this film is! The uniquely and refreshingly strange tone is established right away.

The story follows Hank (Paul Dano), a young man who is stranded on a deserted island about to commit suicide when he sees a corpse, who he late names Manny (Daniel Radcliffe), washed up on the shore. Suffering from extreme starvation, Hank is determined to use his new multipurpose friend to go on an epic adventure that Hank hopes would bring him back home to Sarah (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) the woman of his dreams. As Hank develops a relationship with Manny the corpse, the intriguing absurdity keeps you engaged for the rest of the film. This is the type of film best seen with little information beyond the initial premise, as it is full of mystery boxes waiting to be unraveled. One way of responding to this film could be to contagiously laugh at the screwball actions of Hank and a dead body. Another way would be to question Hank’s reliability as a narrator and view this surreal, spiritual spiral as an existential journey into complete madness. You can imagine that Hank is basically out on his own, lost in the wilderness, and he’s hoisting around a dead body on his back. Like Hank says at one point, maybe he’s just hallucinating all of this, and he’s really just using the body as a way to relay his thoughts. In a way, he is trying to convince himself why he should go on living. There were a couple of moments where I was convinced the film was going to take the expected route and reveal that Hank had succeeded in his suicide, but I’m glad it didn’t take that predictable twist (although it is a valid interpretation). Then there is the magical element, which is fully supported by the ending and everything actually happened as we saw it. Likewise the humor interjects itself in unexpected moments often undercutting some of the film’s gravest moments. While in any other film, this kind of glibness would crimp the narrative, here it not only enhances the film’s themes but proves a check on the film’s more intellectually preening sensibilities. The emotional and the intellectual build off each other in this film like a game of slap hands. This is either a comedy where you are constantly second guessing your own laughter, or a drama where you turn a blind eye to great beats of humor. There will not be a general consensus of this film’s genre or quality. If you watch exclusively as a comedy, you are ignoring real depth. If you view it as any other genre, you are taking it too seriously. Therefore, you can’t judge anybody for getting too little or too much out of it. You may find yourself ardently arguing for the integrity of a film that truly may not deserve it. The relationship between Hank and Manny sits as a surprisingly earnest friendship that rivals some of the classic double acts, right down to the inclusion of song. They bond over childlike ruminations of how and what things are in the real world, while arguing the validity of Hanks repressed memories and fantasies. Manny’s appearance in Hank’s life is quite lifesaving in more ways than one, offering a fools perspective on Hank’s predicament. What really sets the film apart is its ability to break down its themes in creative, new and occasionally frustrating ways. Just when you think you know where the film is going, it pulls the rug out from under you.

The film melts into a hallucinogenic hipster inspired fever dream. One minute our protagonist is fighting for his survival, the next moment there are fantasy sequences that emphasize tactility over whimsy. As silly as it may sound the film is a very thought provoking film that tackles subjects about freedom, what it means to be truly free, and what’s normal and weird/good and bad/appropriate and inappropriate. The director duo attack what society may see as the norm and makes it abnormal in this film between Hank and Manny. The Daniels (as they are billed) have created a wonderful lyrical beauty in their film as the castaways philosophically debate life with all their insightful conversations. Particularly poetic is a lovely segment on a make-shift bus as Hank and Manny question the merits of love. It is critical and necessary that we come to terms, to some extent, with our humanity and inhumanity. We must, at some point, explore our dark places if we are ever to find our way. From a technical point of view, there is little to say about a film that defies logic and has multiple endings that make no more sense than the surreal journey. The acting is engaging and often touching, although caricatured, and the acapella soundtrack is eerie but effective in sustaining the film’s weirdness. Some might dismiss this film as absurd but this film wears absurdity proudly like a badge of honor. And to me the fart jokes and the corpse jokes, the erection jokes, they even have Jurassic Park jokes, are all just the vehicle that drives this friendship story. You have one character that’s dead inside and one character that’s literally dead, interacting in a way that looks insane to some, but the directors have crafted this film in a way that makes Hank and the audiences feel hopeful at the end. My only real and somewhat small disappointment comes with the films conclusion. It goes on a bit too long and things start to get pretty convenient and out of left field. This film would never have worked without the two great leads to drive the absurdity of the premise, not only because they are primarily the only two people who actually appear in the film, but also because their relationship is basically where the film lies. Their chemistry feels real, not just considering their more “passionate” physical acting (though those shouldn’t be passed up either) but by sheer matter-of-fact friendship, as they both come to terms with both of their uncanny status. I’ve seen Daniel in quite a bit besides Harry Potter, and he truly shines as the “corpse” and makes the character quite sweet. Here, Radcliffe is nothing short of revelatory, instantly making a dead guy feel so full of life. From his head dangling on one side in every scene while he tries to form words with his barely- functioning mouth to the way he executes deadpan humor flawlessly, this proves that Radcliffe‘s indie career trajectory after the Harry Potter films finally pay off. Paul Dano also really shines. He is so fantastic in this film; he does one of the most beautifully subtle impressions of anyone I have ever seen. While lost in the woods Paul‘s character does an impression of Mary Elizabeth Winstead to Daniel‘s character and even though she has not appeared on screen yet, I have seen her in enough things to know what Mr. Dano was going for and it was absolutely brilliant. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is good in a small role. On the whole, ‘Swiss Army Man’ is one of the most original, hilarious, emotional and strangest films that you will ever have the pleasure of experiencing. It is not for everyone and those grossed-out enough to leave early have missed out on one of the best films of the decade.