Two-Movie Tuesday: Little Miss Army Man
In the desert(ed) islands of life—the dashed dream, the lost love, the deserted island—existential hope sometimes comes in forms we do not expect: in the silly dance of a child, for instance, or in a corpse.
Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
The masterful opening sequence and lengthy dinner scene give us an immediate feel for each character and dynamic and set the stage for the achingly beautiful and authentic family portrait/road trip movie to follow. The drama and comedy blend seamlessly together in favour of natural story and character development instead of cheap laughs and sentimentality. Life is hard, life is hilarious; it’s a dead relative and crushed dream one minute, a dance party the next. Perfectly written and performed.
10
Swiss Army Man (2016)
A surreal survival story, an odd-couple comedy, and an existential drama all in one: With exquisite cinematography (slow-motion shots of butts and waves are each equally stunning), superb visual effects, and an a cappella soundtrack often featuring the characters themselves, the spiritual themes of life and love are brilliantly and uniquely weaved together with the crudely bodily: masturbation, farts, etc. The final act falters but with all its weirdness you knew it was going to be hard to land.
8
Would love to hear your thoughts on this week’s pair of movies:
Here’s to sunny days and riding waves.