Film Review of
A Scanner Darkly
Director:
Richard Linklater (2006)
Distributor:
Warner Independent Pictures
Certificate: 15
Reviewed by Andrew Wooding
Spoiler notice: If you read on will become aware
of some of the content of the film.
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Main Characters:
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I have only one gripe with this film – Keanu Reeves. Here’s what I said about his performance in my review of Constantine: "… the main problem is Keanu Reeves himself. To call his performance wooden would be an insult to trees. I defy you when watching this to find any facial expressions from him whatsoever (might be a game you can play with the freeze-frame on your remote when you rent the DVD)." Sounds a bit harsh, but unfortunately his same "acting skills" let down the otherwise excellent A Scanner Darkly.
Keanu Reeves plays two aspects of the same character: Fred, an undercover narcotics agent, and Bob Arctor, a member of the public who is getting increasingly addicted to a mind-altering and highly addictive drug called Substance D (which has obvious parallels to LSD). Gradually, the drug turns Bob Arctor into a brain-damaged husk. The trouble is, I couldn’t discern much difference between Bob Arctor at the beginning of the film and the end. If there had been someone else in the part who could actually act, this tragic aspect of the plot could have been extremely moving as we see the gradual decline of someone’s personality. But with Keanu there was no such decline. You could argue that he played a "brain-damaged husk" right from the start!
Ah well. At least we have the excellent Robert Downey Jr, who steals every scene he is in, and Woody Harrelson who provides much-needed comic relief in a character not dissimilar to Shaggy from Scooby Doo. And Winona Ryder is competent enough as the complex Donna.
But, of course, the main star of the film is the animation style itself. Called rotoscoping, it entails shooting live action footage on film or video, then tracing over it one frame at a time so that the characters look like moving paintings rather than real life people. This technique dates back to the early part of the last century, but was used most famously on the original movie version of The Lord of the Rings in the 1970s. In A Scanner Darkly, the style is entirely appropriate.
The author of the story – Philip K Dick – often wrote stories that blur the line between reality and unreality. In A Scanner Darkly this is especially true as characters are unsure whether their experiences are real or they are hallucinating because of Substance D. The rotoscoping effect is disconcerting; it is as if we are watching a waking dream.
The film is both bleak and hysterically funny, often at the same time, and it ends with a moment of both tragedy and hope. Many of Philip K Dick's friends died or were permanently damaged by drug abuse, so he was writing from real-life experience. Philip K Dick also had a strong faith in God (whom he called VALIS – Vast Active Living Intelligence System) and showed much compassion in his writing.
Unlike Blade Runner, Total Recall and Minority Report, this is a film that faithfully adapts the Philip K Dick story it is based on rather than just using it as a starting point. For that it is to be commended. Just a shame, then, about Keanu Reeves…
Through the lens of Christian Faith
Some key themes: Is the world getting better or worse? What exactly is God doing in the world, and will we ever know?
"For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known" (1 Corinthians 13 v 12, The King James Version).
As you can see, the title “A Scanner Darkly” bears a striking resemblance to this famous verse from Corinthians. I don't believe this is a coincidence, especially as Philip K Dick – while never claiming to be a Christian – was certainly familiar with Christian themes. There is a well-documented incident in his life where he had an intense spiritual experience when first seeing the Christian fish symbol, worn around the neck of someone who came to his door.
One thing you cannot do with A Scanner Darkly – both the novel and the film - is oversimplify it. It is multi-layered, rewards repeated reading and viewing, and has much to say to us about the human condition, the world and the nature of reality.
However, I have chosen three quotes from the film that might illustrate just a little of Philip K Dick's worldview as seen in the story.
Barris: "This is a world getting progressively worse. Can we not agree on that?"
Many Christians believe that the world is getting worse – that it is on a downward slide and all we can hope for is to rescue as many people as possible before the end of the world and the second coming of Christ. Others believe the opposite – that we need to work for the advancement of the human race and that our progressive evolution is part of God's plan.
Fred: "What does a scanner see? Into the head? Down into the heart? Does it see into me? Into us? Clearly or darkly? I hope it sees clearly because I can't any longer see into myself. I see only murk. I hope for everyone's sake the scanners do better, because if the scanner sees only darkly the way I do, then I'm cursed and cursed again."
This quote feels like a plea or a prayer. The scanners in the story are almost god-like, monitoring every second of people's lives. Similarly, the Bible tells us that God is watching us and sees every move we make: "And we know that the God who sent us is watching us" (2 Corinthians 2 v 17). The Bible also says that: " For now we see through a glass, darkly … but then shall I know even as also I am known" (1 Corinthians 13 v 12, The King James Version).
In other words, "I am known" fully by God. The scanners can see only the outer appearance, but God knows us through and through. If only "Fred" had understood that, he might have experienced more hope.
Mike: "I believe God's MO is to transmute evil into good and if he's active here he's doing that now. Although our eyes can't perceive it. The whole process is hidden beneath the surface of our reality. It will only be revealed later."
MO stands for modus operandi, which is Latin for “mode of operation”. Here, Philip K Dick is describing his belief in the way God works in the world. He is harking back to the passage in Corinthians - while many events in the world are a mystery now, later we shall fully know what God was up to.
Bob Arctor inevitably becomes an innocent sacrifice for a greater cause. He was sacrificed so that the world could experience hope for the future. The film ends bleakly but with a glimmer of hope. There is talk of the Thanksgiving holidays and a future beyond these dark times where our children’s children will look back at what we once went through.
Philip K Dick was brutally honest about the human condition, which is why at first glance many of his novels appear depressing. However, on closer inspection, he displays compassion and hope even in the worst circumstances. In A Scanner Darkly there is also the message of sacrifice and suffering for the greater good … something which resonates with the heart of the Christian message.
Watch A Scanner Darkly and be challenged.
Discussion questions . . .
- Which is your favourite film based on a Philip K Dick story: Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report or A Scanner Darkly?
- Is the world getting slowly worse or better? Whatever your answer, what should the Christian response be?
- Would you be prepared to die for a greater cause? If someone had a gun and said, “I’m going to shoot you if you say you are a follower of Christ”, what would you do?
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