Swiss Army Man (MA 15+)
Directors: Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
Review by: Jessica Craig-Piper
Stranded alone on a desolate island, bereft protagonist Hank (Paul Dano) is distracted from his noose-fitting
suicide preparations by the sight of a man (Daniel Radcliffe) washed up on the beach below. Initially
disappointed by the obvious lack of life upon reaching the body, Hank is nonetheless intrigued by the loud,
insistent farting noises emanating from the corpse. The gas is so explosive that moments later Hank finds
himself jet-skiing the fart-propelled cadaver across the waves to salvation. Just the first discovery in a slew of
magical powers this not-so-lifeless body possesses, the wackiness only grows from here.
Radcliffe continues his post-Potter penchant for choosing offbeat indie roles, serving up a strangely engrossing
performance as Manny, the flatulent corpse and titular Swiss Army Man. Befriended by lonesome Hank
(imbued with Dano’s trademark understated idiosyncratic charm), Manny slowly begins to reanimate and
rediscover the world. A sense of purpose and hope grows in Hank as he explains the basics of life to Manny,
and Manny’s many miraculous utilities aid Hank’s quest for survival, from vomiting a constant stream of
drinkable water to accurately pointing the way home with his disturbingly compass-like erection.
From gleefully crass bodily function humour to profound existential quandaries and absurd Godot-esque
exchanges, this two-hander is a refreshingly weird buddy comedy unlike any we’ve seen before. Verging on
preposterous, the story is grounded by the earnest performances of its two stars, the complex and subtly
queer relationship they build, and the narrative’s genuine engagement with the utterly disorienting nature of
the human condition.
a journey into one man’s intricate, tangled interior life…at once whimsical and heartbreaking.
Delicately exploring themes of isolation, love, social expectation and precarious mental health, this debut
feature from co-writers Daniel Scheinart and Daniel Kwan is ultimately a journey into one man’s intricate,
tangled interior life and is at once whimsical and heartbreaking.
Audiences will do best to leave off attempting to distinguish reality from fantasy and instead allow themselves to
immerse in this dreamy, disconcerting and oddly heartfelt meditation on the role of self-compassion in our often
tortuous universal search for meaning.
Swiss Army Man is out in Australian cinemas now.
