FaveFilms Review: Waking Life (2001, Directed by Richard Linklater)

How many of us go through the day without thinking about anything that really “matters”? We are so concerned with the realities of the everyday rat-race that we very rarely pause to reflect on why we are here and why we do what we do. We are living in an era in which more Americans vote for the American Idol contestants than vote in presidential elections. If we believe Plato’s injunction that “the unreflective life is not worth living,” then it becomes clear that many of us are living lives devoid of real purpose.

These thoughts were inspired by Richard Linklater’s 2001 mind-trip of a film Waking Life. The movie follows a twenty-something man who wanders through a persistent dream state in which he meets diverse individuals who discuss with him nothing short of the meaning of existence. Some of the many topics discussed include existentialism, situationist politics, free will vs. determinism, postmodernism, dream theory, and the film theories of André Bazin.

I realize that some people may already be zoning out at the mention of these seemingly bookish discussion topics. I must say, however, that Linklater presents these ideas in a way that is not only lucid, but downright adventuresome. There’s more action in this masterpiece than all of the Die Hard films combined!

As we drift with the protagonist from discussion to discussion and from dream to dream, we evaluate the validity of the arguments presented. Some are quite brilliant; some are convoluted, yet intriguing; whereas others are downright silly. The diversity of ideas encountered underlies Linklater’s principal strategy. We are presented a cornucopia of contradictory ideas without being explicitly told which are viable and which are just plain daft. What is most important in this film (and, arguably, in life) is the journey of discovery, not the point of destination. We do not walk away from this film with the answer to the meaning of life (leave that to Douglas Adams and Monty Python). Instead, we feel that we have accompanied our protagonist on a journey of epic proportions, although the incidents in this film are probably all inside our hero’s head.

I haven’t even mentioned the central technical achievement of Linklater’s movie yet, an animation technique based on rotoscoping. The animators overlaid the director’s live action footage with animation that approximates the images physically filmed. The result is a truly dream-like visual style that fits perfectly with the film’s central plot device.

While watching this film, I was reminded of one of my other favorite movies, My Dinner with Andre. Both of these pictures call to mind some of the most stimulating conversations I have had in my life. Whether with dear friends, casual acquaintances, or strangers on the street, these conversations are the lifeblood of the reflective person’s life. I would encourage all to join in the conversation. See Waking Life even if you think it may not be your cup of tea or may challenge you in uncomfortable ways. It will give you something to talk about for quite awhile to come.