Hank (Paul Dano) has been stranded, all alone, on an island with little to no hope of rescue. As he prepares for the end of his time, he notices that Manny (Daniel Radcliffe) has washed up on shore. He believes that this act of God is a sign that he is not yet meant to die and adopts this cadavre as his own. Manny’s dead body is capable of seemingly magical acts and leads Hank on a journey of growth and redemption.
Swiss Army Man plays out like a combination of Cast Away (2000) and Weekend at Bernie’s (1989) where isolation meets reanimation and humor meets despair. The wildly different ideas somehow work wonderfully together and writers and directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert created a story of immensely dry but attractive humor. On paper, Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe look like the perfect pair to star in a film together and they met those expectations. They are incredibly talented and each possess a uniqueness that makes them appealing to film goers. They perfectly executed their roles, and as Manny becomes a manifestation of Hank’s tortured mind, they build a relationship that beautifully develops as the film progresses. In many ways, Radcliffe and Dano play the same character, just in a different capacity.
The acting was incredible and the casting choices made by Nina Henninger were perfect for these roles. Yet, it was the script that made everything in this film possible. While that seems like an obvious statement (as the film would not exist without the script) Kwan and Scheinert managed to create a script full of beautifully ironic dialogue between the same character. Radlcliffe was much less a cadavre washed up on the shore and more the physical embodiment of Hank’s fractured psyche.
The alluring juxtaposition of Hank’s physical being and Hank’s mind created an energetic and relatable visual that engulfed audiences. They were consumed by the reality of what was being said and the relationship that they were able to create with themselves through Hank and Manny. Hank taught audiences about themselves and allowed them to dive deep into the winding valleys of their own minds. Through somewhat demented visuals, impeccable acting and a script that suprasses all expectations, Kwan and Scheinert took audiences on a thrilling journey of not just Hank and Manny, but of themselves.
Comentarios