Friday, January 11, 2013

The Living Wake



In a word, this is a work of genius. Wait, that's more than one word. oh well. 

This is a film that defines irreverence. The fact that every absurdity coherently and fastidiously complements each other creates a paragon of filmmaking, and indeed of writing for the screen.

To further add a shine to the silky smoothness, this is a film that Wes Anderson wishes he could make. His serial attempts cannot harmonize the absurd with the meaning that the absurd fantasy is trying to birth. But with The Living Wake, every frame is overloaded with brilliance and an overarching suggestion triumphantly cauterized at the work's conclusion, giving redemption to the perfectly whimsical oddities.

It doesn't hurt that every joke hits. And that the jokes form a stream of consistent humor that provides much needed relief in this genre of film. Where other film makers strain to create such ornamental weirdness, only falling catastrophically short because their aim is injected with vanity, here miraculously every bit works like a piece of exquisite machinery, enabling the viewer full suspension of their reality, and to accept this alternate hypothesis.

This cannot be overstated enough: it takes immense power and talent to actually tell a story with purpose through whimsically absurd symbols. As far as I am concerned, all other projects are shadows to this. I have not seen such a complete depth to the canvas of humorously bizarre as in this depiction.

Typically a dissenter would find irreverence to be exhausting to the willingness to suspend disbelief and engage with the reality as something substantial. Hence my general reluctance to such works which are made for irreverence sake. Rest assured, this film will have you chuckling and hopefully reach a startling conclusion on finding meaning in life.

Simply a masterpiece attempt and fulfillment. Must-see and must-appreciate. Genius.

Grade: A+

No comments:

Post a Comment