Waking Life Review

by: Will Duke
Directed by: Richard Linklater
Starring: Wiley Wiggins, Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Lorelei Linklater, and Timothy Speed Levitch
Produced by: Anne Walker-McBay, Tommy Pallota, Palmer West, Johan Smith
Written by: Richard Linklater
Trailer: http://www.wakinglifemovie.com/pop_trailer.html

Grade: A

Waking Life is an animated film chock full of philosophical digressions. The animation is the most impressive aspect of the film and is the combination of work from more than 20 animators. With cameos from Ethan Hawke and the director himself, the original film was shot with a digital video camera and drawn over by the animators using computer technology. The outcome is a mesmerizing hour and a half of dreamlike images that accent the discussion of surreal topics such as God’s presence in film, evolution, the illusion of the passage of time, and the collective unconscious. Director Richard Linklater feels that most films today don’t have time for digression because of choppy plots; Waking Life is his attempt at “a film of ideas.” If philosophical topics and animation have never interested you in the past, skip this film. If abstract thinking or inventive animation keeps your interest than this film is likely to do the same. For those of you that don’t find these areas interesting but still wish to remain in the know in the film world, I suggest at least renting the film. However haughty the film may seem after a superficial assessment, it is likely to be talked about for years to come.