Every now and again a film arrives that is completely unlike anything else that has come before it and the upcoming release of Swiss Army Man looks set to be just that. With a raft of good reviews following its premier earlier in 2016 at the Sundance Film Festival and a fantastically surreal trailer, which you can see at the bottom of the page, it’s our tip for surprise hit of the year and a potential contender for the awards season.
It’s the kind of film that we’re doing everything we can to learn as little about as possible before its release date here in the UK, but it’s already got us second guessing possible outcomes for the bizarre setup. It’s not entirely without its comparisons – Life After Beth meets The Life Of Pi and Birdman at The Grand Budapest Hotel is probably our best effort – but with so many possibilities, some interesting casting and an all-out blur between reality and fantasy the comedy-drama has got a very unique perspective on things from the look of the trailer.
Release date
The Swiss Army Man UK release date has been confirmed for Friday the 30th September 2016, following on from the limited US release on the 24th June and the subsequent general release on the 1st July. It’ll arrive in the UK on the same weekend as Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children, so it won’t be the only fantasy release that week, and it’ll face more serious drama competition from Deepwater Horizon and Free State Of Jones.
Story
The story is the simple tale of Hank, who is about to take his own life having been stranded on a densely forested desert island. Just as he’s about to take the drop with a noose around his neck he spots a dead corpse that has washed up on the shore and after a minor accident with the rope he ends up being saved by the arrival, which he subsequently befriends, despite its post-humus flatulance and initial lifeless charm.
However, things go from odd to bizarre when it turns out that the dead man, who Hank names Manny, can talk and perform all manner of skills, like the human equivalent of a Swiss Army Knife. That’s probably pretty tough to imagine, but it all sort of makes sense once you’ve seen the trailer.
Cast
With a plot that focuses on two people marooned on an island, Swiss Army Man has understandably got a fairly slender cast list, but it feels like a pretty smart one with Daniel Radcliffe (Kill Your Darlings) playing Manny and Paul Dano (BBC’s War & Peace) taking on the role of Hank. They’re joined by Mary Elizabeth Winstead (A Good Day To Die Hard), who plays Hank’s love interest, Sarah.
Production
The film has been written and directed by Daniel Scheinert and Dan Kwan, who are collectively known as Daniels with production from Eyal Rimmon, Lauren Mann, Laurence Inglee, Jonathan Wang, Miranda Bailey and Amanda Marshall. Music is from Andy Hull and Robert McDowell, with costume design from Stephani Lewis, production design from Jason Kisvaday, editing from Matthew Hannam, cinematography by Larkin Seiple and executive production from Gideon Tadmor, Jim Kaufman and William Olsson.
First impressions
We’re tentatively hopeful about the prospect of Swiss Army Man from the look of the trailer and the details for the fantastical story. The cast look well balanced and the special effects are cool without being unnecessarily over the top.
