Fresh
This inventive animated film, which takes Linklater back to his roots in Austin and Slacker, represents a summation of all the philosophical concerns that have defined him as spokesperson for Gen-X.
Emanuel Levy, Variety
Waking Life
Dreams. What are they? An escape from reality or reality itself?
2001 · 1h 41m · R
Animation, Drama, Fantasy
Directed by
Richard Linklater
Overview
Waking Life is about a young man in a persistent lucid dream-like state. The film follows its protagonist as he initially observes and later participates in philosophical discussions that weave together issues like reality, free will, our relationships with others, and the meaning of life.
Director and cast
- Richard Linklater Director
- Ethan Hawke as Jesse
- Julie Delpy as Celine
- Wiley Wiggins as Main Character
- Bill Wise as Boat Car Guy
- Alex E. Jones as Man in Car with P.A.
- Steven Soderbergh as Interviewed on television
- Ken Webster as Bartender
- Charles Gunning as Angry Man in Jail
- Caveh Zahedi as Caveh Zahedi
- Lorelei Linklater Cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
81%
Tomatometer
Rotten
For a movie heralded as the cutting edge of visual innovation, Waking Life is disappointingly dull in every other respect.
Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune
Fresh
If there was ever a film that made ontological exploration fun, this is it.
Peter Rainer, New York Magazine/Vulture
Fresh
Exhilarating, transporting, funny and haunting -- and at times maddeningly heady or narcotically logy -- Waking Life doesn't compare to any other movie experience I've ever had.
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com
Fresh
An instant cult classic, one that's tailor-made for multiple viewings and bound to be popular among college students.
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald
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