Thoughts on Swiss Army Man

 

         After finishing the movie Swiss Army Man I was left sort of speechless. My brain was still trying to comprehend what was going on, and I didn't quite know if I enjoyed the movie or if it was just too goofy. This movie begins with Hank on an island by himself, feeling very lonely and helpless he decides he will just end his own life. As he is about to do this Manny's body washes up on shore which catches Hank's attention. The body begins to fart, move, etc. A body that Hank thought was dead has some life to it. The movie begins to get weird when Hank rides Manny like a jet ski and get to another island. On this island Manny finally reveals that he can talk. Soon Hank and Manny become very good friends, and Manny being someone who doesn't know much about life, Hank decides to try and teach him everything about it. Hank shows Manny his "girlfriend" which motivates them to try and make it back home. They make it to the "girlfriends" home and Manny is not in the best mood because his "girlfriend" was actually just a girl that Hank liked, Manny gets sad cause he realizes he is weird and everything he did was for nothing. The movie then ends with Manny riding away in the water which confirmed to everyone he was real.

        This movie was very goofy with all the farting, Hank dressing up as a girl, etc.  It was funny to see how Manny was sort of an adult child who was very innocent, didn't know anything, and just said whatever came to his mind. They talked about a lot of topics that most people in the real world don't like to talk about because it makes them uncomfortable.

         Lastly, in terms of the cinematography, I really enjoyed how the sets revolved so much around nature. How the characters were on a beach, then a forest, having to find food, get tools, look through trash, etc. The lighting was very good as well, with some scenes having the sun beam them with light, the cave scene where everything is very dark, and how some scenes used fire as the main source of light in the shot was cool as well. The camerawork also did a good job in keeping up with all the movement, I enjoyed seeing the close ups, the over the shoulder, wide shots, etc. I also really enjoyed the wardrobe and the make up choice, for example for Manny although he would talk and seem alive, his constant dead look and monotone sort of voice would remind us that he is dead. Overall I am not sure if I liked the movie, but it was still interesting, and was a unique experience.