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Swiss Army Man Takeaways


After the in-class viewing of Swiss Army Man directed by Daniels, my initial reaction is that is a very unique film. Typically, this would not be the type of film I would willingly watch on my own but I do appreciate that I watched it. Hank played by Paul Dano is a phenomenal actor, I've seen his work from The Batman and Manny played by Daniel Radcliffe has been a household name in the industry since he was young. Although Dr.Kyburz told us to take the film at face value, I still tried to see the unlying notions or sequences of the film. I always do that when I watch new films and I definitely need to just learn to take in films as they are. That style of viewing films is derived from the multiple Christopher Nolan films I Had to watch back in high school and complete analysis. 

Here's the trailer if you are interested in checking out the film!! 

Anyways! Let's get back to talking about Swiss Army Man. Some of the thoughts are on the entire basis of the film. I believe Manny was a subject of Hanks's subconscious, although Manny had a real body, he did not function as he did for most of him. The reason I came to this conclusion is Manny is a person adapting to the world and how it works and mentions some personal things that bother Hank back home. Their conversations included family, farts, and love. Some of those things made Hank upset and tried to teach Manny how to act in the real world (in Hank's eyes). But Manny would question Hanks's logic and I believe this was to have Hank go through a psychological journey. Given the name "Swiss Army Man" (another theory of mine lol). You can use a Swiss army knife and any situation, Manny was to help Hank in his life. That's why he did not come alive until the end (maybe a bit of fiction), many came to life for the others as Hank saw him. Overall I did enjoy some of the film but would I watch it again?? Probably not. 

Another notion worth noting was the scene of Hank saving Manny from drowning. I believe this was a turning point for Hank and the movie itself. From this point on Hank started to become the person he really is and expose his struggles internally instead of oppressing them. In terms of cinematography, the use of the crosscut of low-angle, medium shots of Hank to low-angle shots of Manny slowly fading away underwater is fantastic. As we see Manny slowly drowning from the perspective of Hanks the choice he made in saving him. As well as the use of color to resemble the underwater notion with the blueish, and black really helped the viewers understand. As well as the non-diegetic sound intensifies once Hank gets closer and closer to saving Manny. The Daniels made some awesome decisions when it came to this turning point of the film. Overall, this was the best scene of the film and you could see Hank finally making a conscious decision on his own without thinking about the fears or doubts he had. 

CLICK HERE to watch from :10 to :55 if you would like!




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