Waking Life
One of the most acclaimed animated films of the year!
From the director of Slacker and Dazed and Confused comes one of the most imaginative animated features ever made. This funny, ingenious film, which Premiere Magazine calls a "must-see," explores the fascinating question: "Are we sleep-walking through our waking state or wake-walking through our dreams?" Join Wiley Wiggins as he searches for answers to life's most important questions in a world that may or may not be reality.
Member Reviews
You need to be in the right mindset - Forester
The first time I watched it, I wasn't ready for the visual look or the rapid-fire philosophical dialogue. Turned it off at the 10 minute mark. Restarted a few days later, now ready for what the film offers, and it was an interesting and at times insightful experience. Clever animation once you get used to it. I liked the reprise of the Julie Delpy & Ethan Hawke characters from Before Sunrise/Sunset.One of the best dreams I've had.... - Squib
Few movies force me to watch them a second time. Usually the first time is too much. Linklater's absolutely visually and intellectually stunning film has foced me to watch at least seven times now.
Beside the sometimes distracting, sometimes disturbing, but always enjoyable visual display that Waking Life provides, the content seems critical as you watch what I describe as a series of shorts about philosophies surrounding dreams, dreaming, collective memory, and humanity. It is a bare-bones, no-holds-barred, glaringly hostile and yet seemingly gentle look at what it MEANS to exist in our reality. Countless scenes will be stuck in your mind for months as you slowly chew on the philosophies of Nietzche, Kierkegaard, and Sartre. The brilliant presentation seems to feed into the many dialogues and monologues that make up one of the most powerful films I have seen.
I have seen a lot of movies, but I rarely see a good "film". This is a must-see for those who are of the thinking variety, and a must-not-see for those who want to "veg out" on the couch and watch the latest RomCom.Was I really dreaming? - ekatarina
Stunning, glorious, visually and intellectually expansive and fluid, this is an artistic revelation! I loved how Linklater referenced his own work (Jesse and Celine from Before Sunset) and added himself as a character in the film. It even bled over into real life: I wound up talking about the film to my pedicurist and we had an in-depth discussion about dream imagery and interpretation. Like Proust's river of memories, you can immerse yourself in this.
Member Reviews
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You need to be in the right mindset - Forester
The first time I watched it, I wasn't ready for the visual look or the rapid-fire philosophical dialogue. Turned it off at the 10 minute mark. Restarted a few days later, now ready for what the film offers, and it was an interesting and at times insightful ...One of the best dreams I've had.... - Squib
Few movies force me to watch them a second time. Usually the first time is too much. Linklater's absolutely visually and intellectually stunning film has foced me to watch at least seven times now.
Beside the sometimes distracting, sometimes disturbing, ...Was I really dreaming? - ekatarina
Stunning, glorious, visually and intellectually expansive and fluid, this is an artistic revelation! I loved how Linklater referenced his own work (Jesse and Celine from Before Sunset) and added himself as a character in the film. It even bled over into real ...