It’s easy to dismiss a film like Swiss Army Man (2016) based on the premise – which is, admittedly, totally NUTS – but after last year’s historic Awards-sweep for Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022), I’d advise you to reconsider.
SAM was my first introduction to the wonderfully weird world of Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (a.k.a. Daniels), and films haven’t been the same since. I’ve tried before to compare Daniels to other completely unique filmmakers like Michel Gondry, Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman, but I really shouldn’t. Kwan and Scheinert are something else entirely.
Released by equally singular speciality-label A24 (obviously), SAM follows a man stranded on a deserted beach who stumbles across the decomposing corpse of another man, and discovers he can use the body as a multi-functional tool that helps him escape his predicament.
Yes, you read that right.
I have to admit – when this film was offered to me at a market many years ago, I didn’t get it. I saw some footage and I thought it was funny and eccentric, but I didn’t believe it would work as a feature-length movie.
I was of course very wrong.
It speaks for Daniels’ spectacular talent that they have actually succeeded in making a film with a premise this preposterous not only work, but work beautifully. A huge factor in that success is the fearless performance of the two-headed main cast – Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe. We’re obviously used to seeing Dano in daring parts, but I have to especially applaud Radcliffe for going boldly beyond his Potter stigma.
SAM is like Cast Away (2000) on acid, with Radcliffe as Wilson incarnate. More poignantly however – SAM starts off as a kooky, light-hearted romp and then surreptitiously morphs into a profound reflection on life, death, love and loneliness. Six years later, Daniels would repeat and perfect this approach for EEAaO.
The obvious similarities make SAM feel like a spiritual companion-piece to EEAaO, and I would highly recommend watching them back-to-back for the full effect.
Check these multi-faceted films out, they will change your perception of what cinema can be.
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Twitter (X): Robin Logjes | The Screen Addict