Swiss Army Man features Daniel Radcliffe as farting corpse, yet offers so much more

Your willingness to see Swiss Army Man, and subsequent enjoyment if you do decide to take that chance, may depend on how you respond to the film being labeled “that Daniel Radcliffe farting corpse movie” coming out of the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. If that’s an immediate turnoff, it’s entirely possible that you won’t be willing to go for the ride this film will take you on. But if you’re intrigued, there’s a good possibility that you’ll at least be intrigued enough to follow this extremely unusual story to its end.

Swiss Army Man is a very difficult film to summarize, which doesn’t necessarily make it ideal for someone trying to write a review. I dare say that you’ll have a hard time trying to describe this movie to friends, family or acquaintances if you end up talking about it or attempting to convince anyone to take a chance on it.

Yes, there’s a farting corpse, he farts frequently, loudly and explosively, and he is a prominent part of this movie. He’s a co-star. Actually, depending on your view, he’s the star of the production. This is almost certainly the aspect of the film you’ll be talking and thinking about the most afterwards, but also the one that seemingly defies explanation. Give Radcliffe credit for this: He’s not making any safe choices after achieving international stardom by playing Harry Potter in eight movies. And he’s not going to be pigeonholed as a child actor for his willingness to take on bold, unconventional roles such as this.

Radcliffe plays Manny, the name given to him by Hank (Paul Dano) when he washes up on the shore of a beach that is apparently on a deserted island. Shortly before discovering Manny, Hank was preparing to hang himself, presumably because he had given up hope of being rescued and could no longer bear living in isolation. That’s beginning the story from a rather dark place, and remembering where Hank was when he’s first introduced on screen is probably worth remembering as his relationship with Manny develops.

Eventually, Manny begins talking — or is imagined to talk by Hank. That’s the only explanation which really makes sense, right? This lonely man has created a companion for himself, one which asks the innocent, yet eventually insightful and penetrating questions that we should probably all ask ourselves when confronted with our worst flaws and the difficulties that life presents. Is Hank a person who’s just been afraid to live, especially when it comes to asking out the idealized object of his affection (Mary Elizabeth Winnstead, whose performance is largely given through iPhone photos)?

The word “apparently” is one to keep in mind frequently as the movie progresses. Just when you feel like your footing is comfortable, like maybe you’ve figured out what this movie is and where it’s going, directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Schienert (credited as “Daniels”) shift the ground the story sits on and requires the audience’s perception to be reset.

If you prefer not to look that deeply in this movie, maybe it can be enjoyed on a more superficial level — maybe as a smarter, more warped, less wacky Weekend at Bernie’s or a very twisted version of Cast Away in which Tom Hanks and that volleyball form a deeper friendship. At the very least, you’ll have the farting. And as mentioned, there is a lot of it. You may never have realized how much gas a corpse can pass from its body and to what uses that discharge can be utilized. At various points throughout the film, Manny serves as a jet ski, a firestarter, and a gun. His body also preserves gallons of rainwater for Hank to drink later on. When rigor mortis sets in, his limbs can chop wood. And his erection serves as a compass.

Yes, that’s right. All of this is played for laughs, but if it’s something you don’t think you’re ready to handle, Swiss Army Man probably isn’t the movie for you. I think Daniels forces you to confront that eventually. Even if you enjoy yourself because you’re giggling so often at all that farting, the setting and story soon force you to consider what’s really happening and whether or not this, at its core, may ultimately be the saddest comedy you’ve ever seen.

Radcliffe’s astonishing physical performance will draw most of the attention from this movie, and rightly so. He is game to have his body manipulated and contorted for anything the story needs. Sure, some of that might be aided by special effects, especially when Hank rams some rather imposing objects down Manny’s throat when necessary. For virtually the entire movie, Radcliffe only moves his mouth, yet he’s amazingly compelling, whether because of the way he’s shot or how Dano interacts with him in their scenes. He conveys the innocence that the story badly needs to be meaningful, even if much of that may be projected on him by Hank.

However, Dano’s performance shouldn’t be overlooked either. As mentioned, Hank starts off in a very dark place, having seemingly reached a point of no return. But there’s still a joy in him that’s been untapped until Manny brings it out in him. Like so many of us, he just hasn’t found the right circumstances — or the right person — with which to find happiness, if such a thing is truly achievable. Hank is vulnerable, achingly lonely, and emotionally stunted because of his parents. Yet he’s also wildly imaginative and surprisingly resourceful, even if his predicament may be self-imposed and his motivations may be a bit more frightening than they may initially appear. Or maybe it all somehow comes down to farting.

But it’s also very possible that you may see this movie entirely differently. For one thing, you may not like it at all. It’s challenging material, despite all of the humor used to deliver difficult story and character points. Yet if you stick with Swiss Army Man, you might find something you really like. Even if it’s just the lovable farting corpse. There’s something in this story I believe anyone can relate to, however. And you’ll almost certainly want to talk with somebody after watching it, either to help make sense of it or learn something from what that other person saw in this film.