Waking Life

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Kyle C I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this! Waking Life is unlike anything I’ve seen before. Let’s start with the visuals. The animation is essentially a digital painting over live-action footage, giving it a sense of realism (or maybe surrealism) that most animated films lack. This is the kind of film I want to throw in the faces of the folks who churn out mainstream animation and shout, “Look! You can actually use animation creatively! We don’t have to settle for dull, lifeless visuals, you sheep!” Okay, maybe that’s overkill. But the point stands: Waking Life is masterful in how it uses its medium. The animation styles ebb and flow, reflecting the mood and ideas of each scene. Lightly scored by a small orchestra to whom we’re briefly introduced, the film becomes a sensory marvel. There’s a vague narrative thread, but it mostly feels like a series of loosely connected, fascinating TED Talks. It’s not a documentary, but the dialogue is raw, unfiltered, and delivered by people who feel more like real individuals than actors. Many of the scenes play like segments from an Anthony Bourdain show: intimate glimpses into interesting lives, presented with a neutral lens. The meandering philosophical conversations are deep and thought-provoking but not so dense that you feel left behind. Occasionally it edges into pretentiousness, but it never feels like the film is lecturing, just offering a window into the minds of passionate people. Waking Life begins to lose some momentum in the back half, but it still manages to deliver a satisfying conclusion to everything that came before. It’s definitely not for everyone, but if you can appreciate a unique visual experience and a wandering late-night conversation about the meaning of life, you’ll get a lot out of it. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 06/12/25 Full Review David H The graphics in this film are really good. I'm not a big fan of modern animation generally because it's just not very good or very interesting. The animation in this film is an exception, though. Lots of attention is paid to detail, and the backgrounds are fun to watch. There's one section where people are riding on a train, and the wealth of detail both inside and outside of the train is amazing. As for the film itself, though, it doesn't ever seem to go anywhere. I stopped watching halfway through because I figured there wasn't a whole lot more to be got out of watching the rest. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/21/25 Full Review Emilio S I you have watch a movier more than 10 times, it deserves 5 starts. Simply epic. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/02/25 Full Review Isa B The protagonist of Waking Life is having a seemingly endless dream that we, the audience, get to experience with him firsthand. The dream turns everyone he encounters into a philosopher, which dreams sometimes have a way of doing. Someone is always trying to tell you something. The dream world is one that I love to explore, and I don't mean via lucid dreaming so much as through the medium of film. The topic of filmmaking is mentioned more than once in Waking Life. The subconscious mind is a deep vault of ideas and information that is a more interesting place to explore at times than the so-called real world. This film captures that idea beautifully. The ever-changing rotoscope animation is literally perfect to bring this series of dreams to life. Personally, I love this film. Wiley Wiggens was the perfect actor for the lead role. He has this unassuming disposition much like the character he played in Richard Linklater's 1993 film, Dazed and Confused. I most definitely recommend this one! 94/100 Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/12/25 Full Review Peter G An amazing, insightful, delightful trip! I had to pick up a physical copy of this. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/02/24 Full Review Taiven L By far the most pretentious, self-fellating film I have ever seen. I created an account just to rate this one movie, that's how bad it was. Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 11/14/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Waking Life

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