Swiss Army Man [DVD + Digital]

DISCLAIMER: this movie is not for everyone, but for anyone that this movie is for, you’ll love it.There is SO much more to this movie than a bunch of fart jokes and other forms of crude humor. It’s deep and dark and funny and altogether beautiful. I knew going into it that it was going to be weird. Think about it; a man, stranded on an island, ready to take his own life, finds a corpse, befriends it, and then the two adventure to find their way back to society. What’s not weird about that?Paul Dano plays Hank; an awkward young man who feels an overwhelming sense of being alone. He is ashamed to be alive, yet he has an appreciation and unique view of life. When Hank is stranded on an island and he is ready to end it all, he happens upon a corpse (Radcliffe). Hank names the corpse “Manny”, who starts to come to life in a most disarming and humorous way; flatulence. Yup…corpses release gas, and farts can be funny. Farts are the great equalizer...everybody does it.The conversations that the two craft are filled with symbolism and metaphors about society and life as a whole. Some of this is very obvious and some of it is SUPER subtle. From farts, to trash, to masturbation, to…well, they talk about so much...I don’t want to give too much away. You should take the journey for yourself.The acting is absolutely superb. Really, I was so impressed by Daniel Radcliffe. I mean, how does one play a corpse? Really? And yet, he does so in such a fantastic way. Paul Dano is so sincere in his portrayal of Hank.What's more, there are some truly beautiful moments with framing and lighting and color...I really wish that I knew more about film so that I could convey this to you.Swiss Army Man is quirky…no, scratch that…it is, without a doubt, weird. You'll find that the word "weird" is repeated in the movie, too. A lot. So much so, that you'll start to question what "weird" really means. What it means to one may not be the same that it means to another. It is this movie's weirdness that makes it uniquely beautiful and gross and funny and sad and charming and oh so amazing. Just like the characters. Just like life. I kind of loved this movie.

Paul Dano (cave man like figure)+ Daniel Radcliffe (the dead man who speaks miraculously). And the gay couple director who always work together Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert.Well, this gay couple director made some serious art of fantasy world I cannot deny that they were influenced from the great director Michel Gondry.I can see his movies like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind or The Science of Sleep from this film.It was all possible because the production company was not like Sony or Universal. It was just a small Independent film companies joined to make this happened.After a few shorst and some TV movies this is their first feature and it happens to be the most artistic feature debut ever made.At the beginning I had a huge doubt since there is fart joke and all.But when the dead body Daniel Radcliffe begins to talk (this might be all Paul Dano fantasy since he was about to kill himself in the middle of nowhere and he just wanted to find an excuse not to and he happens to find this dead body from the current which is Daniel)First Daniel just farts big time.Then he begins to inject water from his mouth which make Paul able to drink water, I think it was clean enough.Then he miraculosuly begin to talk. But he couldn't move at all. No muscle movement or anything. Just when he sees a beautiful picture of a girl he moves his peanutes like eraction happens kind of funny. But the thing is he lost all the memory and Paul has to teach all the human words to him.Sex, masterbation, love, life and such.Slowley Paul opens himself to him.Sometimes it seems like Daniel's alive seems all Paul's creation but then again, he seems just miracle.They were connected.Then when the bear attacked Paul he again miraculously begins to move! Not in a normal way but more like one of those clay animation like movement.Paul has this one parted love affair with this lady who has a family the name is Mary Elizabeth Winstead (I first noticed her from the movie FINAL DESTINATION 3. She was a beauty). But Paul was a recluse and he had no courage to approach her before.Now that he has Daniel, they decided to go and meet her.When they do so, they were a big joke, a big news to the neighbour, The news team came to shoot them.The father of Daniel came to collect the body since he was dead.What? He was dead?So this is all just fantasy that Paul created?Who knows.That was the time Daniel again farted big time.He was not really dead.Then when Paul brought him back to the sea, he begins to float by and dissapears into the ocean.Paul was survived because of Daniel that is for sure. He was about to hang himself in a rope at the beginning. Then he found Daniel. That was not a fantasy.You still will never forget the fantasy world that paul created. They were so beautiful and it was like one of those Oz world, no it was more then that.Something that you can see from the movie <SCIENCE OF SLEEP> or any other great fantasy films. And becasue of those moments, this movie will be remembered forever in our heart.

I never thought in a million years I'd give five stars to a movie with this many fart references...but here I am. Seriously, I was unsure through the first few minutes, but I held on, and I'm so glad that I did. This movie is weird, but beautiful. Bizarre and thought-provoking. As a medical professional, I deal with people who are on their way out all the time, and truly, the aging and decomposition of a body is a strange and powerful thing, and this movie touches on that, but so much more. The references to what is real and what is important, what is valuable and what is merely a passing thing, and how the power of knowing that we are NOT alone is enough to bring about miracles.I've never seen Paul Dano before, but his acting is superb, and Daniel Radcliff is *singularly* amazing in this movie. I can't think of many actors who could portray a dead body this convincingly, much less the emotional and spiritual evolution the character experiences through the film.I don't know that I'd pass this movie along to just anybody, but to those I thought would understand, I will absolutely recommend. This movie is amazing. :)