Waking Life (2001)

The Cast/Crew:

Directed by Richard Linklater
Written by Richard Linklater
Starring Wiley Wiggins (The Dreamer,) Ethan Hawke, Richard Linklater

The Basic Synopsis:

The unnamed main character who I (and most people) refer to as "The Dreamer" isn't sure if he's awake or if he's asleep. He has many false awakenings and listens to many brilliant thinkers about existentialism, dreaming, evolution and reincarnation. This is shown through what is now known as "rotoscoping." Rotoscoping is animating and then placing that on top of live-action footage.

How it Turned Out:

I personally think it is without a doubt in the top ten animated films I have seen. The synopsis probably doesn't pull you in, but I was hooked on it the moment it began. We know very little about any of the characters. In fact, there are only three characters we see more than once. We see the car-boat driver, the Dreamer and the pinball player more than once each. I think I should give you fair warning before I tell you to see this (and I will tell you to;) this is one of the most divisive films I have seen in my life. You can very easily love this film. It's even easier to hate it because of how obvious it is. Don't go in with an opinion. Just see it and wait until the very last second to decide if you like it or not.

My Favorite Part:

When Linklater gives his speech about Phillip K. Dick rewriting the Book of Acts and then deciding that time is going on at the same time as 50 AD. Linklater then says that he believes time is God asking us whether we want to move on and die. We keep saying no until we want to die and say yes. We then learn that time is all happening at once. 50AD, 2008AD and whenever are all at the same time. Imaging listening to incredibly written speeches like that for about 105 minutes and you get Waking Life.

What I Also Love About It:

Soon to be superstar Linklater directed this and was nominated for a few awarks for best director (don't forget, this is animated.) I find his directing in this to be genious and definitely deserves to be nominated (deserves to lose to Lynch for Mulholland Dr. though.)

Who's Great in It:

Wiley Wiggins is incredible as the Dreamer and Linklater gives a great (yet brief) performance as the pin-ball machine guy.

I Usually Don't Say this...:

This is one of the few films that I believe can change a person's life. There are so many ideas in this film and all of them make sense. It's up to you to choose which you believe in.

The Bottom Line:

A mindblowing, mesmerizing, brilliant, talky animated film. 4/4 Stars