For this week's blog post, I will be giving my thoughts on the film Swiss Army Man (2016). Swiss Army Man is a Drama/Comedy film that was released in 2016 and is directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. This is one of those films where when you're watching it, you have to accept what is happening on the screen, because if you don't it won't be as good of a watching experience. An example of this is a good amount of the comedy bits in the movie. There's a scene in the movie where Hank, Paul Dano's character, rides Manny, Daniel Radcliffe's character, like a jet ski on the water, and the "jet ski" is powered by Manny's farts. Not realistic, but you also have to accept from this scene that the movie won't be super realistic.
The comedy in this movie is mostly crude, and is also inconsistent throughout the film. In particular, there are a few scenes where Manny and Hank are talking/joking about sex/simulating a conversation between a guy and a girl. There are words said by Manny that are inappropriate relating to sex that did get a few laughs out of me, but that crude humor also isn't every viewer's type of humor, and it could go by some viewers as unfunny or "cringe". However, when the comedy lands, it sticks the landing very well. But when it doesn't, the comedy crashes and burns. But, the big thing that this film does well is the journey of Hank's character throughout the film. At the start of the film, the audience can see that Hank is not in a very good state mentally, as he tries to hang himself right when the film starts. However, when he sees Manny wash up on the island, he stops doing that as he sees life other than himself. The character of Manny in this film can be interpreted in different ways. I see Manny's character as a pathway to get Hank back into a good state mentally, and enjoy his life again. This is conveyed all through the film, with the many interactions and conversations between Hank and Manny about life, and Hank teaching Manny life essentials, like how to speak to people, what people do in their lives, and what certain things are, like food or buses. The ending of the film not only is a good conclusion for the mental state of Hank, but it also leaves it to the audience's interpretation to if the Manny character is real. What he an actual moving corpse, or was he a figment of Hank's imagination? The film overall has some inconsistent comedy, but it follows a coherent and sweet journey that leaves a satisfying feeling for the audience at the end of the journey.
Crude is a good word to define most of the film. I would have to agree that the Daniels "brought it home" when you get to the ending. It's a good closing point to leave up to the audience for interpretation. As inconsistent the film was I do agree with your remark how feeling sweet at the end. You see Hank finally become himself and others believed him at the end of it.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you could get past the cringe to the heart of the story. You too, Erik!
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