What does it mean to be human? What does it mean to ache?

The film Anomalisa presents these questions to its audience, forcing its viewers to contemplate the meaning of their own lives.

Anomalisa follows an inspirational speaker, Michael Stone (voiced by David Thewlis), on a business trip as he wallows in the mundaneness of his own life. While in a hotel room, Stone begins to dwell on his own loneliness despite his wife and son at home. Stone looks for something to give his life meaning and finds it in the form of a woman, Lisa (played by Jennifer Jason Leigh) whom he falls madly in love with.

The film was written and directed by Charlie Kaufman, who wrote the films Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Kaufman’s films have been held to high critical acclaim and Anomalisa meets the criteria.

While the story sounds human, the film does not contain a single human in it. The film uses stop motion with human looking dolls voiced by actors who bring them to life, or at least something similar to it.

The film’s use of stop motion was for a larger thematic purpose. Nearly every character and extra in the movie from hotel staff to Michael Stone’s wife and son share the same bland face and monotone voice (acted by Tom Noonan). This creates a surface level eerie effect that begins to delve into the idea that individuality does not exist. The protagonist himself begins to question his own individuality, peeling of his face to reveal a seemingly mechanic inside. Kaufman suggests that the modern man is nothing but a machine, as any other product in the world that lacks individuality.

The film is a beautiful and eerie experience that leaves its audience in a brilliantly produced shock. Anomalisa won best Director in the Austin Fantastic Fest and was nominated for Best Animated Feature Film in the 2016 Academy Awards. See it while you can at the Regal Arbor http://www.regmovies.com/Movies/Movie-Folder/2015/Anomalisa-187540.