ANOMALISA (Charlie Kaufman, Duke Johnson, 2015)
Originally a self-described “theatre for the new ear” radio play from 2005, Anomlisa is an animated comedy with unanimated voices. In the mind of Michael (David Thewlis), everybody at the Fregoli Hotel literally sounds like actor Tom Noonan. All except for Lisa, the one character voiced by Jennifer Jason Leigh – the texture of her otherwise mundane musings awakens something Michael can’t explain. Indeed, if the hotel had Wi-Fi, he would know it’s ASMR. That said, viewers might be more pleasantly triggered by Noonan’s depiction of hospitality staff, a profession whose polite demeanour is designed to reassure guests. After all, ASMRtists do tend to mimic hairdressers, shopkeepers, and so on.
