A Scanner Darkly

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Jordan

I really like this film even though I find it so sad. There is humour and even a small glimmer of hope at the end but at its heart this is a very sad story.

I've never read any Philip K. Dick novels despite loving all the films that have apparently ripped him off or used his work as the basis of other stories. From what I hear this is the most literal adaptation of one of his stories. It has a great cast and I've always liked Richard Linklater's work.

Here he's teaming up again with the animation house that did Walking Life with him. I find rotoscoping a nightmare and could not imagine doing a single shot like this, let alone an entire feature but it does give the whole film a very surreal look. It's much easier to follow the action than Walking life and this time the style is uniform throughout, a much more detailed realistic style which helps a great deal.

The music adds so much toward the end of this film. Especially watching it again, knowing the outcome, I find the events quite emotionally gripping, whereas the first time through you never have any idea where the film is heading or if there is even a plot. It definitely rewards multiple viewings. That and it's just pretty to look at.

It's also a great low key sci-fi, my favourite kind. They are all such tragic characters, despite many being funny and very entertaining. I think they pulled off something quite remarkable with this film and it was great to watch again.