Man, what a fucking movie. I never thought I'd say this, but Harry Potter who???
Daniel Radcliffe is unrecognizable in Swiss Army Man, created by "The Daniels," (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Schneinert) ironically. The story is about Hank Thompson, who has been stranded god knows where, for god knows how long. Daniel Radcliffe's character washes up to shore, and Hank befriends the corpse in an effort to combat delusional loneliness (he sees Radcliffe just as his first suicide attempt is unsuccessful). It turns out a human corpse can be quite useful in the wilderness, hence the "Swiss Army Man" title. Hank nicknames the farting corpse (yes, you read that right. There's a LOT of farting) Manny, and a new relationship blossoms between the living and the dead. It makes a lot of sense, despite it sounding absurd. I mean, Tom Hanks befriended a volleyball in Castaway (Hank Thompson's name is a nod to the OG survivor movie man). It makes sense that in a desperate situation someone would imagine a pretend relationship in order to maintain some sort of sanity. But it does get a little weird (how could it not). "Manny" talks to Hank in Hank's hungered delusions, and has "special powers" that help Hank survive. Like those farts, for instance. In one scene Hank fucking rides Manny like a boogie board, and Manny's corpse farts (gas leaving the dead body vessel) propel him forward. Manny also is Hank's water canteen, weapon, shield and of course, companion. Manny asks Hank constant questions about the world, which I think is Hank's way of talking to himself to remind him of that world so he has a reason to live. That's where the movie really sold me. It already hooked my attention with the storyline, something I had never seen before and was completely enthralled with. But it was the deeper meaning. The whole time Hank is simply trying to survive. But then we meets Manny, his swiss army man, and suddenly he has a new outlook on life. He has a partner in crime, something he never had before. Together, they have parties and dinners (made from garbage and twigs) and he feels happy for the first time in his life. All with a fucking corpse. The corpse talks in Hank's hallucinations, but all the activities he builds for them are real. Manny makes Hank questions the nature of all his past relationships, whether they made him happy or not, and life itself. There's It's haunting and oddly beautiful and so incredibly original. The ending wasn't the best, but like I said, this movie had a storyline I had never seen of thought of before. It was completely captivating, I loved every second. Keep an open mind and give it a watch.
SWISS ARMY MAN- NETFLIX