maleficentmoi

"A Scanner Darkly" is still with me. I saw it July 14th at the Tower and walked away feeling satisfied. It's a film atypical to the modern American film landscape. There are no explosions, gunfights, war scenes, snakes, or hip-hop artists playing cartoon characters of themselves. The characters are archetypes, so shallow that a toddler could wade in them safely. Still, that's beside the point. The film is about drug users and the fractured life, friendships, and world views they carry along inside them. If they're shallow, it's because they are indeed shallow. Their lives revolve around one thing: drugs. Or, more realistically, escapism. And, brother, do they ever. The scenes are dialogue heavy, most times difficult to hear (Mr. Downey Jr. in particular), but the point is rarely missed. Unlike most drug films, that capitalize on representing the euphoric, crazy highs of drug use to help underscore the tragic or disturbing lows (see: "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas"), "A Scanner Darkly" visually references drug use at a measured score. Sometimes the characters throw back several red "death" tabs, but the main sequences of the drug's impacts on the mind rely heavily on Bob Arctor's freak outs. They're quick and, sometimes, subtle (look for the specter of Death represented by a grinning skull when you'd least expect it). True, the opening (funny ass) sequence with Freck and the aphids lays the point of the film quiet clear, but, as mentioned before, it's the dialogue that represents the burned out life of druggies best. Most of the dialogue is pointless and used to underscore the druggies conditions. Not unexpectedly, the film ends on a sorrowful note, but not so heavy that it even comes close to preachy. Philip K. Dick would be most proud of this film, I think. It sticks very close to the story as he presented it, but the additions, I believe, make for a more entertaining film. Especially the subtle twist at the end, where Arctor's entire plotline is revealed to be something a little more sinister. Okay, it's not too subtle, but I felt Richard Linklater, the director, handled it nicely. Oh, and don't get me started on the visuals of the film. Un-fucking-real. So far, this has been the best film I've seen this year. Don't walk in expecting explosions, or gun fights, or cowboys, or aliens, or hip-hop clowns, or witty dialogue that you'll use in front of your friends to feel better about your sad social life. Leave that shit at the door. Instead, just let the film fuck your skull and leave you empty. It's fab!