Waking Life (2001)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Richard Linklater

Writer (WGA):

Richard Linklater (written by)

Release Date:

7 March 2002 (Australia)

Genre:

Animation | Drama | Fantasy | Mystery

Plot:

A man shuffles through a dream meeting various people and discussing the meanings and purposes of the universe.

Plot Keywords:

Death | Philosophy | Tango Music | Dream Sequence | Surrealism

Awards:

5 wins & 14 nominations

Cast

Trevor Jack Brooks	...	Young Boy Playing Paper Game
Lorelei Linklater	...	Young Girl Playing Paper Game
Wiley Wiggins	...	Main Character
Glover Gill	...	Accordion Player
Lara Hicks	...	Violin Player
Ames Asbell	...	Viola Player
Leigh Mahoney	...	Viola Player
Sara Nelson	...	Cello Player
Jeanine Attaway	...	Piano Player
Erik Grostic	...	Bass Player
Bill Wise	...	Boat Car Guy
Robert C. Solomon	...	Philosophy Professor
Kim Krizan	...	Herself
Eamonn Healy	...	Shape-Shifting Man
J.C. Shakespeare	...	Burning Man

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some violent images.

Runtime:

99 min | Argentina:100 min | Australia:101 min | Germany:100 min | Spain:101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:12 | USA:R (No. 38276) | South Korea:15 | Brazil:Livre | Italy:T | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:14A (Canadian Home Video rating) | Finland:K-7 | Germany:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Company:

Fox Searchlight Pictures

Trivia:

The pinball machine in the last scene is a Bally Fireball from 1971. In the film, the brand name "Bally" has been changed to "Rally", and while the name "Fireball" appears in some shots, in others it is changed to something else. The game is also shown in the film with 5 digit score displays while the real game has 4 digit displays. The Player 2 and Player 3 scores are both shown with a score of 11111, which means the player is playing a 3 or 4 player game all by himself and has a very unlikely score, or the machine in the dream is broken. Also, any real pinball machine with 5-digit scoring would have the rightmost digit fixed at "0".

Quotes:

Man with the Long Hair: They say that dreams are only real as long as they last. Couldn't you say the same thing about life?

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Anatomy of a Scene: Waking Life" (2001)

Soundtrack:

Pelo Negro

A film for passionate thinkers.

This is one of the most thought provoking films I've ever seen. It's also visually stunning and perfectly acted: every single one of these people seem to be just giving their own opinions as if you were overhearing/having a meaningful conversation with them.

We can chalk this up to the genius of Linklater who over the years has shown not only the pretentiously humorous coffee house crowd cliches but also the searching, often deeply insightful side of our generation that the media overlooked when we were dubbed slackers. In films he has written: "Slacker" and "Before Sunrise" and in his films of stage plays Bogosian's brilliant, Chekhovian "SubUrbia" and the faintly melodramatic "Tape", Linklater has always been fascinated with the question of what we should doing with our lives. Our responsibility is to contribute something lasting and meaningful to our society. But what exactly is that? Where and when should I do it? Who with? How do I know if I've really found it? Why is it so important again, anyway?

I saw this movie for the first time late last night and 5 minutes before it started I had fallen asleep and was hoping I'd be able to make it all the way through the film. From the first frame I was riveted and completely awake and remained so even after it was over; contemplating all the myriad viewpoints the film had thrown at me.

This movie is so exciting and bursting with ideas that I'm going to buy the DVD as soon as I possibly can and watch it over and over trying to absorb it all.

See this film. It will remind you of how thrilling it is to be an active thinking, feeling member of the human race.