Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Adaptation. Being John Malkovich. Synecdoche, New York. Figuring out the odd, mind-twisting films of Charlie Kaufman isn't always easy. In fact, it never is. But few approach the enduring themes of love and the meaning of life from as unique a perspective as he does, and his latest film, the stop-motion animated Anomalisa, looks no different.
Featuring the voices of Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tom Noonan and David Thewlis with Duke Johnson co-directing and Carter Burwell providing the score, Anomalisa tells the odd story of an author living a mundane, meaningless life as he's unable to connect with people. While on a routine business trip he encounters a stranger who completely changes his life around. Of course, there's a lot more to it that can't be explained by any two-minute trailer.
Anomalisa recently played here at the Middleburg Film Festival and sadly I couldn't catch up with it. That will definitely change when the film opens on December 30th.
