Swiss Army Man (2016)

When I started my blog in 2016, I was limiting myself to the usual blockbusters that were mainstream while rarely dipping my toes into the independent films. As time moved forward, I started to venture out to discover some of those hidden gems in the recent years that no one seemed to be noticing. After getting burnt out from how mediocre Captain Marvel ended up being (check out my review of that for further details), I took a break and decided to look back at something from 2016 was peculiar that I heard about. This brings us to Swiss Army Man, which was written and directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. I was somewhat familiar with the premise but never heard many people talk about it when it came out. I wanted to see if there was more than meets the eye this low budget comedy-drama and after I was done watching it on Netflix, I was impressed by one of the more bizarre comedies I've seen in recent years (and given that I've seen movies like Sorry to Bother You, that's saying something!).

What's this weird story about? The story follows a man who was about to attempt suicide on a stranded island when he encounters corpse that he discovers can be manipulated like a Swiss Army knife. This acts as a character study with this troubled figure as he uses this weird cadaver to suppress his viewpoints and issues with. It disguises how sad the situation is through the interactions that take place, which add doses of weird humor. There isn't that much to discuss surrounding this arc without spoiling the film but it deserves a lot of credit for taking a risk with the premise. In fact, this has some rewatch value due to the circumstances in the third act as there's some interpretation to be made regarding the events (those of you who have seen this know what I'm referring to). The only negatives here are some of the quirks the cadaver has throughout the film are a little too much (a few of them took me out of it a couple of times).

How are the main characters? The people to focus on are Hank (Paul Dano) and Manny (Daniel Radcliffe). Paul gives a great endearing performance as an insecure individual whose frustrations from his past frustrations cause him to attempt suicide. The way he portrays the struggle to improve his character and move beyond his quiet why behavior is intriguing to watch. Daniel surprises with one of the oddest performances in his career as a corpse that has peculiar capabilities. The chemistry between the two carries this strange story into something that has interesting results.

Overall Consensus: Swiss Army Man is a fascinating character study that's strengthened by an intriguing premise, solid performances, and interesting subtext. ⭑⭑⭑⭑ Runtime: 1 hour 37 minutes R

Reasons to watch it: You like any of the aforementioned actors. You want to see bizarre independent films. You are interested in weird character study related arcs.

Reasons to avoid it: You dislike any of the aforementioned actors. You don't want to see bizarre independent films. You are turned off by silly quirks.