I (heart) Life Aquatic

Saw Life Aquatic again last night, and it was even more amazing than the first time. Am I the only one who thinks that every single frame contains a joke, every single frame is funny? This movie is ridiculously rich with gags and is the funniest film of 2004 for me. Many are bound to disagree though. During the viewing -- as aspected -- only some vocal few, like me, were laughing constantly. The others were probably lost, wondering exactly what we were laughing at.

It's the awkwardness! That Bill Murray, comedic genius, looks awkward here in every frame without trying. Every line is delivered with perfect irony, even those that aren't exactly jokes. The result is a film that's at least chuckle-worthy around every turn.

Plus, the last chapter, the hunt for the jaguar shark, brings out a sense of wonder and amazement that I have not seen replicated any where else for a long time! This is especially telling, since the claymation here creates more awe than three expensive episodes of Lord of the Ring ever managed. Ah, the brilliance.

It also reminded me of Garden State. Both are very quirky films, but Garden State succumbs to sentimentality at the end, while Life Aquatic sternly keeps its critical distance. Even the scenes of tragedy are done with NO sentimentality at all; the camera sits far back from the scene and views the characters silently, aloofly. But boy, is this effective! Garden State's last 30 minutes are nearly mind-numbing in its insistence on resolving everything in an emotionally-satisfying manner, but it is Life Aquatic's indifferent stance that creates a much stronger emotional response.

I've always been a fan of the "critical distance". Ozu, the Japanese auteur, always tells his actors to underact, to express no emotions, and his films are all the more human because of it.

Because, as we all know, the hiding of emotions is the saddest act of all.