Waking
Life (2001)
Some people have referred to Richard Linklater's "Waking
Life" as "Slacker:
The Animated Series" or some such similar description.
And while this is, in many ways, a somewhat accurate
characterization, it really sells the film a bit short.
Yes, both "Slacker" and "Waking Life" are Linklater's
verbose, seemingly random, stream-of-consciousness genre
films. Both are filmed in Austin. Both have a plethora
of actors as characters somewhat based on themselves.
Both begin on a bus. But where "Slacker" is decidedly
Austin and, in many ways, about a generation lost in
their own cerebral pudding, "Waking Life" has a far
narrower scope, that of dream as reality as dreams as
reality and so on.
At times this existential angst can become near psychobabble
and nearly incoherent to the average person. A deep
interest in dreams, Freud, philosophy, film and religion
will surely help a viewer here. The film's opening monologue,
and I won't even b egin to guess who the character is
performed by, is about as clinical and technical as
one can get. My mind drifted far away during this sequence.
But, this did make me realize that Linklater wasn't
doing some little cutesy film about dream reality o
r even simple "what is real/what is illusion" cinematic
Lynchian magic. Linklater has far more complex issues
in mind here. You have to pay attention. He will accept
nothing less than your complete attention.
Wiley Wiggins, of Linklater's seminal "Dazed and Confused,"
plays the dreamer. As our tour-guide, Wiggins often
rambles through scenes without uttering a single word.
Like us, he is often there simply to listen and absorb.
When he does have dialogue, and it is rare, he is often
asking the same simple questions we are asking. Some
of Wiggins' first interaction with another character
is when he sits and talks to John Christensen as the
Social Lubricator. Here, Wiggins finally seems as if
he is cha tting with a friend. It is, perhaps, the most
"Slacker-esque" moment in the film. But Linklater has
far more cool and imaginative things up his sleeve with
this scene. It's a wonderful moment in the film.
But the crux of "Waking Life" is when Wiggins meets
Linklater himsef, as the older man plays pinball. Linklater
is the only one here who can truly verbalize what he
is saying with the film and the time betwixt he and
Wiggins is the best moments in th e film.
"Waking Life" was shot on digital video and then animated
using a process that has been referred to as "Rotoscoping."
But the real interesting thing here, besides the computer
applications that Animation Director Bob Sabiston has
created, is that Lin klater has hired real artists to
do the animation. Even Wiggins, himself an amateur cybergraphic
artist, helped to animate the film during the post-production
phase. These artists are painters and sculptors, or
as in Wiggins' case, cyber artists - ph otographic manipulators,
if you will. They weren't graphic artists or commercial
artists or computer animators. Sabiston's software help
make this process applicable to what Linklater wanted
to achieve.
"Waking Life" is simply stunning to view. It is almost
painting come to life. It continues the thread begun
by Warhol and Cocteau and Dali and David Lynch in which
film is seen as art with motion, a moving picture. But
here, rather than being the ava nt-garde black and white
image so often associated of those artists/filmmakers
stated, Linklater and his cohorts create a moving, spectacular,
colorful, vibrant and pop canvas. This film is pop art
come to life. It must be seen. Mere words cannot des
cribe it.
"Waking Life" is a masterpiece. No doubt about it.
Note:
Also with Linklater alumni Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy
("Before Sunrise"), Adam Goldberg, and Nicky Katt ("Dazed
and Confused"). Director Steven Soderberg also plays
a role as does artist/filmmaker Caveh Zahedi.
One scene was shot inside and outside the Paramount
Theater, where the film played at SXSW2001 and the 2001
Austin Film Festival.
The film premiered at Sundance 2001 and was picked
up by Universal's art house label Universal Focus. Linklater
was nominated for the Golden Lion at Venice.
Music by Glover Gill and Tosca.
This Film Reviewed
from the 2001 Austin Film festival!
|
Report
Card
Script:
A
Voice Characterizations: A+
Animation:
A+
Originality: A+
Music: A+
Final
Grade: A+
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