Being John Malkovich
1999 · Directed by Spike Jonze
Original language: English
- comedy
- drama
- fantasy
The story
One day at work, unsuccessful puppeteer Craig finds a portal into the head of actor John Malkovich. The portal soon becomes a passion for anybody who enters its mad and controlling world of overtaking another human body.
What it’s like
Cramped, grimy office interiors under sickly green fluorescent tubes, low-ceilinged and airless, give way to the warmer, wood-and-brass hush of an inner world that feels like a cramped theatre seen through someone else's eyes. Spike Jonze frames much of it in tight, static shots with a deadpan, slightly off-kilter symmetry, and the handheld wobble of the camera tilts the mood toward nervous comedy. Light is mostly dull and indoor, with an unsettling, brightened glow whenever the portal opens. The score is quirky, jaunty and sometimes eerie, underlining the absurd logic rather than swelling for emotion. Its vibe is bizarre and cerebral, deadpan absurdist comedy with a sour, melancholic undertow about longing and self-erasure. It suits a curious late evening with friends, or a night alone when you want to laugh at something strange. The pacing is brisk and jittery, and its register stays wry and detached even as characters grow desperate and unhinged. Its people chase identity and recognition in self-defeating ways, and the arcs bend toward dislocation rather than resolution. Intensity is mild: sexual situations and some crude, uncomfortable content, with no gore and little real violence. For viewers who enjoy offbeat, surreal comedy with sharp, awkward edges.
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