Waking Life (2001)

Here is a Dream.

It's funny that I had just gotten through talking about dreamscape movies after I saw Mulholland Drive. I said that they are a risky kind of movie -- they either connect with its audience on an inexplicable level or they alienate them completely. With Waking Life, I found myself connected. I don't know about anyone else, but here -- Here! -- is what a dream looks like to me. My dreams are like this, with shifting backgrounds, people who look real and who strangely do not look real all at once, changing settings, false awakenings, and endless conversations that seem to come from nowhere. I often feel like the protagonist of this movie, grounded yet confused in my dreams, finding myself with unfamiliar abilities that yet feel graspable to me, hearing ideas from other "people" that I would have never thought of on my own.

Waking Life's greatest accomplishment is the reproduction of this dream world. When I first heard that it was a movie that used an animation technique called Rotoscoping, in which live-footage is used as a basis for animation, I couldn't imagine how it would be utilized to enhance whatever story was being told. I can say now that I don't think director Richard Linklater and his team of filmmakers could have chosen a better subject for it. Waking Life begins with scenes that seem normal, yet disjointed, as we observe numerous people having conversations. Most of the conversations seem to have something to do with different human perceptions of life, existence, and their meanings. A young man (Wiley Wiggins) ties most of the scenes together; he seems to be listening to most of these people talk, without his own interjections. As the movie continues, it starts looking more and more like the young man is dreaming, and that this is the dream he is having.

The animation serves the purpose of representing a dream state perfectly. Because of the Rotoscoping technique, every animated character looks eerily real, yet unreal at the same time. Once in a while, they even change shapes to express their moods, but then always return to their normal, realistic form. The result is a look that draws the viewer in, yet simultaneously gives nothing solid for the viewer to grasp on to. For my money, that's what a dream feels like. The background contributes to this effect. Nothing stays still, everything is kind of floating. Even parts of the same object can be found floating independently of one another, adding to the overall feel. Be forewarned, though; the effect can potentially be nauseating. The jittery style of The Blair Witch Project is nothing compared to the wavy motions presented here.

Since the movie is a dream, no real narrative structure is in place. The audience is not watching a traditional story; in fact, the movie feels more like a documentary on philosophy. Each character we meet has a different take on what life and existence are. At first, the ramblings are straightforward, presenting different scientific and sociological viewpoints. From the middle on, the state of existence itself is questioned, leading to the protagonist wondering if he is somehow trapped in a dream, and whether or not his reality was a dream all along. The film is all talk and practically no action, which is certainly not conventional. This may have the potential of boring less receptive viewers, but for those who like to fill their minds with questions not easily answered, the presentation is engaging.

The movie works perfectly when it is an objective film highlighting the random philosophies of all the different characters. However, Linklater did risk allowing more of his own subjectivity in the movie than was needed. One pretentious looking writer in the film describes the book he is writing, and it is clear that his description fits the movie's as well. He calls it the "greatest story ever told." I think that Linklater recognized the humorous ostentation here, and used the scene as a subtle joke. Not so subtle is the fate of the gun-toting character who advocates "a well-armed populace," and ends up being shot. Linklater himself eventually appears in the movie, but his views end up being the final ones, thus giving the impression of his having the last word.

Thankfully, these moments do not detract from what is all-together an amazing experience. Watching the movie is like wandering through a living museum, offering a collection of visuals, sounds, and ideas. Each encounter with a new character or group of characters comprises a new section, and each section is Rotoscoped with a different style of animation. Many of them look like different painting styles, and it is wonderful to watch them come to life and move about. The score is performed by a small group of musicians including string and piano players, and its sometimes dissonant chords complement the atmosphere. Sound effects are simply the background noises of everyday life, almost what you'd expect to hear in the background of a home video. Waking Life -- innovatively animated, philosophically curious, and a perfect representation of a dream world -- is a marvelous work of art.

Rating: 9/10

©Jeffrey Chen, Nov. 29, 2001

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