Anomalisa

In 2005, middle-aged English-born lonely customer service expert and motivational speaker Michael Stone travels to Cincinnati, Ohio to promote his latest book at a convention at the Fregoli Hotel. He feels distant from everyone around him, whom he perceives as having an identical face and voice, including his wife and son.

Michael practices his speech in his room but is haunted by the memory of an angry letter from a former lover, Bella, whom he abruptly left years ago without an explanation. He arranges to meet her in the hotel bar, but she is still upset and outraged by his invitation to his room, eventually storming out. Going for a walk, Michael mistakes an adult toy store for a children's toy store. Wanting to buy his son a present, he goes in and realizes his mistake, but is fascinated by a Japanese animatronic doll behind the counter.

After taking a shower, Michael hears a unique female voice and rushes from his room to find her. He meets Lisa, an insecure young woman attending the convention with her friend Emily. Enraptured by her unique appearance and voice, he invites both women for drinks at the bar. Later, to Lisa's surprise, Michael invites her to his room. Still captivated, he encourages her to sing and tell him about her life. She sings Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and after she calls herself an "anomaly", he nicknames her Anomalisa. The two become intimate and eventually have sex.

Michael has a nightmare in which the lower half of his face falls off and the identical people of the world pursue him, claiming they love him and insisting he and Lisa cannot be together. The dream inspires Michael to propose he and Lisa start a new life together. She agrees, but her eating habits during breakfast annoy him, and her voice and face begin to transform into those of everyone else. During his convention talk, Michael suffers a breakdown, claiming he has no one to talk to and ranting about the American government, alienating the audience.

Michael returns to his home in Los Angeles, California. He gives the Japanese animatronic doll to his son who is nonplussed and notices a mysterious substance leaking from it. His wife notes its resemblance to semen but dismisses it nonchalantly. She has arranged a surprise party for Michael, but he does not recognize any of the attendees, angering her. Michael sits alone on the stairs as the doll, bearing facial damage in the same locations as Lisa's facial scarring, sings "Momotarō's Song", a Japanese children's song. Lisa writes Michael a letter, saying she hopes they will meet again while Emily, sitting beside her in her car, has her unique face.

• David Thewlis as Michael Stone, a middle-aged British English-born motivational speaker and customer service expert with a mostly negative attitude. To him, every person looks and sounds the same except Lisa, whom he perceives as different.
• Jennifer Jason Leigh as Lisa Hesselman, a sweet but insecure woman who has come to the hotel to attend Michael's talk about customer service.
• Tom Noonan as everyone else.

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| footer = Directors Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson at the 2015 Fantastic Fest

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The first version of Anomalisa was written and performed in 2005 for the Los Angeles run of "Theater of the New Ear", described as "a concert for music and text, or a set of 'sound plays'" by Carter Burwell, who commissioned and scored them.{{cite web|url=http://www.carterburwell.com/projects/TONE.shtml|title=Theater of the New Ear|work=Carter Burwell official website|access-date=April 4, 2016}} It was a double bill with Kaufman's Hope Leaves the Theater, and replaced Sawbones, by the Coen Brothers, from the earlier New York run, after that play's actors were unavailable.{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-sep-16-et-ear16-story.html|title=Lend an ear to Charlie Kaufman|last=Swed|first=Mark|date=September 16, 2005|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=April 4, 2016}} This Anomalisa was credited to the pen name Francis Fregoli, a reference to the Fregoli delusion, a disorder centered around the belief that different people are in fact a single person who changes appearance or is in disguise.{{cite web|last1=Lawless|first1=Jill|title=Charlie Kaufman wows Venice critics with inventive adult animation 'Anomalisa'|url=https://www.usnews.com/news/entertainment/articles/2015/09/09/charlie-kaufman-is-back-with-adult-animation-anomalisa|website=U.S. News & World Report|date=September 9, 2015|access-date=September 17, 2015}} The 2005 performance had Thewlis and Leigh sitting on opposite sides of the stage, with Noonan in the middle; Burwell conducted the Parabola Ensemble, and there was a foley artist.{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2005/legit/markets-festivals/theater-of-the-new-ear-1200523153/|title=Review: Theater of the New Ear|last=Gallo|first=Phil|date=September 15, 2005|work=Variety|publisher=Penske Business Media|access-date=April 4, 2016}}

Kaufman was initially opposed to turning the play into an animated film, saying that the play had "a disconnect between what's being said on stage and what the audience is seeing – there's Tom playing all these characters, there's Jennifer and David having sex while they're really just standing across the stage from each other and moaning. You'd lose that". The film was reinvented, although its script was described by The Guardian as "virtually the same" as that of the original play.{{cite web|last1=Rommey|first1=Jonathan|title=Charlie Kaufman on weirdness, failure and his new puppet noir|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/15/charlie-kaufman-anomalisa-film-interview|website=The Guardian|date=September 15, 2015|access-date=September 17, 2015}}

The film's production company, Starburns Industries, sought funding on Kickstarter to "produce this unique and beautiful film outside of the typical Hollywood studio system," where the company believed the film would be inevitably changed from its initial conception. Initially pitched as a short film "approximately 40 minutes in length", the team set a funding goal of $200,000. By the end of the campaign, 5,770 backers had pledged $406,237 to the project.{{cite web|url=http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/anomalisa/charlie-kaufmans-anomalisa/description|title=Charlie Kaufman's Anomalisa|publisher=Kickstarter|author=Starburns Industries|access-date=June 11, 2018}} After the success of the Kickstarter initiative, additional funding was secured by the film's production company, Starburns Industries, and the film was expanded to feature length.{{cite web|url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/anomalisa/charlie-kaufmans-anomalisa/posts/852303|title=Kickstart Update #39: Anomalisa Timeline|publisher=Kickstarter|author=Starburns Industries|access-date=June 11, 2018|date=May 22, 2014}}

The puppets were created with 3D printers,{{cite web|last1=Zeitchik|first1=Steven|title=Charlie Kaufman breaks hiatus on own terms in 'Anomalisa' at Telluride|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-charlie-kaufman-anomalisa-telluride-20150904-story.html|website=Los Angeles Times|date=September 4, 2015|access-date=September 17, 2015}} with multiple copies of each character. Eighteen Michaels and six Lisas were created.{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2015/artisans/news/anomalisa-small-scale-challenges-1201664471/|title='Anomalisa': The Big Challenges of Re-Creating Life on a Small Scale|last=Gray|first=Tim|website=Variety|publisher=Penske Business Media|access-date=February 29, 2016|date=December 30, 2015}} Johnson recounted that the team was told that such realistic puppets would be "disturbing and off-putting", but disagreed, saying that the nature of stop-motion film, with human hands moving puppets for each frame, brought "organic life" to the medium. One goal of the film was for viewers to "forget they were looking at something animated and just get wrapped up in the scene", he said; "the challenge we felt with so much animated stuff is that you're always conscious of the animation, and we kept asking, 'What if we could escape that? What would it be like?'".

Kaufman and Johnson have described the process of stop-motion animation as "laborious" and found challenges in making the puppets look lifelike and relatable.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jan/07/subversive-allure-stop-motion-anomalisa-tim-burton|title=Masters of puppets: Charlie Kaufman and the subversive allure of stop-motion|first=Steve|last=Rose|date=January 7, 2016|work=The Guardian|access-date=July 11, 2018}} Animator Dan Driscoll said they found people on whom to model the puppets, studied human movement and facial expressions to produce a precise result, created the puppets and built the sets, and finally placed the puppets on the sets and moved them frame by frame to create the illusion of movement. Kaufman said the medium of stop-motion underpins the narrative of Anomalisa by drawing attention to small details viewers would not notice in a live-action film.{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2015/12/22/460632027/frame-by-frame-filmmakers-make-the-mundane-miraculous-in-anomalisa|title=Frame-By-Frame, Filmmakers Make The Mundane Miraculous In 'Anomalisa'|publisher=NPR|work=Fresh Air|first=Terry|last=Gross|date=December 22, 2015|access-date=July 11, 2018}} The film was in production for more than two years.

{{Main|Anomalisa (soundtrack)}}

Anomalisa had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on September 4, 2015.{{cite web|url=http://www.indiewire.com/article/telluride-film-festival-charlie-kaufmans-marvelously-strange-anomalisa-is-an-animated-identity-crisis-20150905|title=Telluride Review: Charlie Kaufman's Marvelously Strange 'Anomalisa' is An Animated Identity Crisis|publisher=Penske Business Media|work=IndieWire|first=Eric|last=Kohn|date=September 5, 2015|access-date=December 1, 2015}} The film went on to screen at the Venice Film Festival on September 8{{cite web|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/charlie-kaufmans-anomalisa-venice-review-820741|title='Anomalisa': Venice Review|publisher=Prometheus Global Media|work=The Hollywood Reporter|first=David|last=Rooney|date=September 5, 2015|access-date=December 1, 2015}} and the Toronto International Film Festival on September 15.{{cite web|url=http://tiff.net/festivals/festival15/specialpresentations/anomalisa|title=Anomalisa|publisher=Toronto International Film Festival|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 8, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208102038/https://www.tiff.net/festivals/festival15/specialpresentations/anomalisa|access-date=December 1, 2015|work=Special Presentations}} Shortly after, Paramount Pictures acquired its worldwide distribution rights.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2015/film/markets-festivals/toronto-paramount-buys-charlie-kaufmans-anomalisa-1201594936/|title=Toronto: Paramount Buys Charlie Kaufman's 'Anomalisa'|last=Lang|first=Brent|work=Variety|publisher=Penske Business Media|access-date=September 17, 2015|date=September 16, 2015}} The film had a limited release on December 30, 2015 and a wider release in January.{{cite web|url=http://www.anomalisa.com/|title=Anomalisa|work=Anomalisa Official Website|publisher=Paramount Pictures|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151223143535/http://www.anomalisa.com/|archive-date=December 23, 2015}}

The film's DVD and Blu-ray packs were released on June 7, 2016.{{Cite web|url=https://www.dvdsreleasedates.com/movies/7876/anomalisa|title=Anomalisa (2015)|website=DVDs Release Dates|access-date=February 17, 2017}} The Blu-ray Combo Pack with Digital HD includes an in-depth look at the filmmaking process with Kaufman and Johnson and three behind-the-scenes features, including an extended look at the production process and deeper themes of the story. Looks at the sound design and the ground-breaking techniques used to create one of the film's most intricate and intimate scenes are also shown.{{Cite web|url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160307005437/en/Academy-Award%C2%AE-Winner*-Charlie-Kaufman-Critically-Acclaimed-Films|title=From Academy Award®-Winner* Charlie Kaufman Comes One of the Most Critically Acclaimed Films of the Year, Anomalisa, Debuting on Digital HD March 15, 2016|publisher=BusinessWire|first=Brenda|last=Ciccone|access-date=February 17, 2017|date=March 7, 2016}} In the Blu-ray pack, thanks to the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 used in the film's production, ambient sound effects such as the hotel bar background can be perfectly heard and combined with the dialogue.{{Citation|title=Anomalisa Blu-ray|url=http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Anomalisa-Blu-ray/143366/|access-date=February 17, 2017|work=Blu-Ray.com}}

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 92% based on 275 reviews, with an average rating of {{RT data|average}}. The website's critical consensus reads: "Anomalisa marks another brilliant and utterly distinctive highlight in Charlie Kaufman's filmography, and a thought-provoking treat for fans of introspective cinema."{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/anomalisa|title=Anomalisa (2015)|publisher=Rotten Tomatoes|access-date=May 16, 2025}}{{RT data|edit}} The film also has a weighted average score of 88 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 46 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/anomalisa|title=Anomalisa Reviews|publisher=Metacritic|access-date=January 22, 2016}}

In Time Out David Calhoun awarded the film five out of five stars and wrote, "It's what you imagine might have happened if Charlie Kaufman had got his hands on Up in the Air or Lost in Translation."{{cite web|url=http://www.timeout.com/london/film/anomalisa|title=Anomalisa|last=Calhoun|first=Dave|work=Time Out London|publisher=Time Out Group|date=September 8, 2015|access-date=September 27, 2015}} Drew McWeeny of Hitfix called it "the most shattering experiment yet from Charlie Kaufman" and graded it an A+.{{cite web|url=https://uproxx.com/hitfix/review-anomalisa-is-the-most-shattering-experiment-yet-from-charlie-kaufman/|title=Review: 'Anomalisa' is the most shattering experiment yet from Charlie Kaufman|last=McWeeny|first=Drew|work=HitFix|publisher=Uproxx|date=September 18, 2015|access-date=September 27, 2015}} LA Weekly{{'}}s Amy Nicholson gave the film an A and wrote, "Kaufman is taking our brains apart and showing us the gears."{{cite web|url=http://www.laweekly.com/film/charlie-kaufman-has-directed-his-second-masterpiece-6045163|title=Charlie Kaufman Has Directed His Second Masterpiece|last=Nicholson|first=Amy|work=LA Weekly|date=September 15, 2015|access-date=September 27, 2015}} The Guardian{{'}}s Peter Bradshaw gave the film five out of five, naming it his film of the week, and wrote: "It is really funny, and incidentally boasts one of the most extraordinarily real sex scenes in film history. It also scared me the way a top-notch horror or a sci-fi dystopia might ... Is there anyone else in the movies doing such unique and extraordinary work?"{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/mar/10/anomalisa-review-charlie-kaufman-puppet-masterpiece-about-the-human-condition|title=Anomalisa review: a masterpiece about the human condition – with puppets|last=Bradshaw|first=Peter|date=March 10, 2016|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=March 20, 2016}}

Observer critic Mark Kermode gave Anomalisa three out of five, writing: "Sometimes it falls apart ... But there's something magical about the malaise which raises this above mere misanthropy—a heightened sense of fragile life that perhaps only puppets could hope to achieve."{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/mar/13/anomalisa-review-charlie-kaufman-duke-johnson-david-thewlis-jennifer-jason-leigh|title=Anomalisa review – uncanny stop-motion|last=Kermode|first=Mark|date=March 13, 2016|newspaper=The Observer|access-date=March 20, 2016}} Stephanie Zacharek of Time wrote: "Once you start reckoning with Anomalisa{{'}}s obsession with self-absorption, the novelty of this one-man pity party begins to wear off."{{cite magazine|url=https://time.com/4157259/anomalisa-movie-review/|title=Review: In Anomalisa, Puppets Have Problems Too|last=Zacharek|first=Stephanie|magazine=Time|date=December 21, 2015|access-date=February 8, 2015}}

Anomalisa was listed on numerous critics' top ten lists for 2015.{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/feature/film-critics-list-the-top-10-movies-of-2015|title=Best of 2015: Film Critic Top Ten Lists|first=Jason|last=Dietz|date=December 6, 2015|publisher=Metacritic|access-date=July 11, 2018}}{{cite web|title=The 20 best films of 2015|url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/best-films-2015|publisher=British Film Institute|date=December 27, 2015}}

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}

• 1st – Drew McWeeny, HitFix
• 1st – Aaron Hills, The Village Voice
• 1st – Tim Grierson, Screen International
• 2nd – Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
• 2nd – Amy Nicholson, L.A. Weekly
• 2nd – Alison Willmore, BuzzFeed
• 2nd – Ella Taylor & Kristopher Tapley, Variety
• 2nd – Glenn Kenny, RogerEbert.com
• 2nd – Matt Singer, ScreenCrush
• 3rd – Alonso Duralde, TheWrap
• 3rd – Matt Goldberg, Collider
• 3rd – Ben Travers, Indiewire
• 3rd – Matt Fagerholm, RogerEbert.com
• 3rd – Dennis Dermody, Paper
• 3rd – Will Leitch, The New Republic
• 4th – Peter Sobczynski & Nick Allen, RogerEbert.com
• 4th – The Guardian
• 4th – John Powers, Vogue
• 4th – Geoff Berkshire, Variety
• 5th – Michael Atkinson, The Village Voice
• 5th – Steve Persall, Tampa Bay Times
• 5th – A.O. Scott, The New York Times (tied with Carol){{cite web|title=The best movies of 2015|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/13/movies/best-movies-2015.html|website=The New York Times|date=December 9, 2015}}
• 6th – Kate Erbland, Indiewire
• 6th – William Bibbiani, CraveOnline
• 6th – Erin Whitney, ScreenCrush
• 6th – Todd McCarthy, The Hollywood Reporter
• 7th – Jake Coyle, Associated Press
• 7th – Mike D'Angelo, The A.V. Club
• 7th – Eric Kohn & Jessica Kiang, Indiewire
• 7th – Rafer Guzman, Newsday
• 9th – Noel Murray, The A.V. Club
• 10th – Rodrigo Perez, Indiewire
• 10th – Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor
• 10th – Peter Travers, Rolling Stone (tied with Inside Out)
• Top 10 (listed alphabetically) – Steven Rea, The Philadelphia Inquirer
• Top 10 (listed alphabetically, not ranked) – Stephen Whitty, The Star-Ledger

{{div col end}}

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:{{small|FF.}}{{Note|NoteBS||Under the pen name Francis Fregoli.}}

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{{sister project links|d=Q20942819|c=category:Anomalisa|n=no|b=no|v=no|voy=no|m=no|mw=no|s=no|wikt=no|species=no|display=Anomalisa}}

• {{Official website|https://web.archive.org/web/20151223143535/http://www.anomalisa.com/}}
• {{IMDb title|2401878}}
• {{Mojo title|anomalisa}}
• {{Rotten Tomatoes|anomalisa}}
• {{Metacritic film}}
• {{AFI film | 70452 | Anomalisa}}

{{Navboxes

|title = Awards for Anomalisa

|list =

{{Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Animated Film}}

{{Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Animated Film}}

{{San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Animated Film}}

{{San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Award for Best Animated Feature}}

{{Venice Film Festival Grand Jury Prize}}

}}

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