--- title: "Anomalisa" year: 2015 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/anomalisa" fi1m_score: 82 critics_score: 80 critics_reviews: 28 published: "2026-09-17T07:02:47.164245+00:00" updated: "2026-09-17T07:03:02.385123+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Anomalisa (2015) Directed by Duke Johnson, Charlie Kaufman · 1h 31m · MPA R · Animation, Drama, Romance, Comedy **Fi1m score: 82** · Critics 80 from 28 reviews *In a sentence:* A lonely man in a beige hotel finds the one voice that isn’t Tom Noonan’s; it goes about as well as you’d expect > Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson put a depressed man in a Cincinnati hotel, give everyone around him the same face, and make the saddest and most tender puppet film we know. Its one weakness: it likes his misery more than it should. ## Synopsis Michael Stone (David Thewlis) flies to Cincinnati to address a conference and checks into a hotel. Everyone he meets, the taxi driver, the bellboy, the receptionist, his wife and son on the phone, has the same smooth face and the same mild voice (Tom Noonan). He rings Bella, a woman he left years ago, and asks her to the hotel bar. Then, through the wall, he hears a voice that is not like the others. It belongs to Lisa Hesselman (Jennifer Jason Leigh), a sales rep from out of town who has driven in with a friend to hear him speak, and he knocks on her door. ## Review Michael Stone (David Thewlis) has written a book about customer service, and he is flying to Cincinnati to tell a hall of people who work in call centres how to be nicer on the phone. He is not nice himself. He is tired, snappish and adrift, and the film’s first idea, stated before he has left the aeroplane, is that everyone he meets has the same face and the same voice. The man in the next seat, the taxi driver, the desk clerk, his wife and son on the phone: all Tom Noonan, mild and patient and interchangeable. Charlie Kaufman wrote it and directs with Duke Johnson, in stop-motion, with puppets, and it is the clearest thing he has made since [*Being John Malkovich*](https://film.one/film/being-john-malkovich). We recommend it warmly, with one reservation about whose side it is on. The puppets are the film. Kaufman and Johnson have left the seams in: a line runs across each brow and down the jaw where the plates of the face join, and nobody has painted it out. The effect is of people who might come apart. Joe Passarelli shoots the hotel with a shallow focus and the flat, warm light of a bedside lamp, so the beige room looks like a real room in a real airport hotel rather than a set. John Joyce and Huy Vu’s production design gets the details that matter: the key card that will not work, the ice bucket, the corridor with the same door repeated to the vanishing point. Susan Donym puts Michael in a grey suit. Thewlis gives Michael a voice worn down to a mutter, and the puppet’s small movements, a hand rubbing the back of a neck, a drink poured with too much care, do the rest. Noonan’s voice is the film’s joke, and it becomes frightening. He never raises it. The ex-girlfriend Michael rings and meets in the bar, the bellboy who will not stop talking, the desk clerk: all are pleasant, all are the same, and by the twentieth exchange we felt something close to panic on Michael’s behalf, and then something worse, because the film has already suggested the sameness is his doing. Kaufman plays the trick without a word of explanation. Then Lisa (Jennifer Jason Leigh) speaks through the wall. Leigh plays her as a woman who apologises before she has finished a sentence and assumes any man nearby would prefer her friend. She has driven in with a colleague to hear Michael talk, and she cannot believe he has knocked on her door. The scene in which she sings to him, in his room, unaccompanied, is the one most likely to disarm a sceptic. It disarmed us. Carter Burwell keeps his score to a few piano notes around it and lets Leigh’s thin, honest singing carry the weight. What follows, in the same room, is a sex scene between two puppets. We braced for the laugh. It never comes. Kaufman and Johnson play it slowly, awkwardly, with the lights on, and Garret Elkins holds his shots long enough for the fumbling to turn into tenderness. It moved us more than most sex scenes between actors have, and we think we know why: the puppets cannot perform desire, so the animators have had to build it out of hesitation, and hesitation is what we recognise from our own lives. Now the reservation. Michael is a self-pitying man who has hurt people and will hurt more, and the film knows it. But it also finds him the most interesting person in Cincinnati, and the second half, which takes a turn we will not describe, is more curious about his dread than about the woman he has spent the night with. Some critics read the last movement as a deliberate cruelty: a good night does not cure a bad man. We agree that is the point. We still think the film enjoys making it slightly more than it should, and that Lisa deserved a picture that stayed with her a minute longer. Against Kaufman’s own work it is the simplest: one man, one hotel, one night. [*Synecdoche, New York*](https://film.one/film/synecdoche-new-york) needed a whole collapsing city to say what this says with a seam in a puppet’s face. At 91 minutes it is the right length, and it carries its 15 certificate for good reason. Watch it alone, late, in a room with a minibar, and try not to check whether the receptionist sounds like the taxi driver. *Fi1m score 82, published 17 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics come away moved. The reviews agree that Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson’s stop-motion puppets, seams and facial lines left visible, do something live actors could not: they make a lonely man’s numb world look and sound exactly as he experiences it, with every stranger sharing one face and one voice. Praise clusters on the one night he spends with Lisa, and on the sex scene in particular, which several critics single out as tender, awkward and unexpectedly real. Lisa herself is widely described as the film’s one bright creation. The reservations are fewer but sharp. A handful find the resolution predictable by Kaufman’s standards, or the opening stretch too literal about depression. Vulture admires the animation but tires of the protagonist’s undiluted self-pity. The New Yorker argues the film shares its hero’s obliviousness to everyone around him, and The New York Times finds its cast of whiners and depressives painful company. Those two sit a long way below an otherwise tightly bunched, warm consensus. ### Reviews we read (28) - **Empire**, Ian Freer (★★★★★): The critic calls it a minor miracle of a movie and the most beautiful, haunting, empathetic, tender and funny film of the year so far. They single out the poignant consideration of human fragility and the heartfelt connection between the leads. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/anomalisa-review/) - **Radio Times**, Leslie Felperin (★★★★★): Hails it as exquisitely sad, strange, and achingly humane, noting the innovative combination of themes in puppet form and the moving, funny elements like Lisa's song. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/anomalisa-review-exquisitely-sad-strange-and-achingly-humane/) - **Time Out**, Dave Calhoun (5/5): Calls it a downbeat masterpiece, lauding the stop-motion puppetry and its probing of happiness, love, and mental fragility in a simple yet majestic story. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/anomalisa) - **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (95/100, inferred): The critic calls it a strange miniature masterpiece and a hilariously funny yet horribly real animation about the unbearable loneliness of being and the prison of identity. He singles out the extraordinarily real sex scene and the way the puppet animation heightens the sense of fragile, uncanny human life. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/mar/10/anomalisa-review-charlie-kaufman-puppet-masterpiece-about-the-human-condition) - **Film Comment**, Jonathan Romney (90/100, inferred): The critic praises the stop-motion puppets for creating an uncanny effect that reveals humanity in artificial forms, making the film moving, funny and disturbing at once. The review highlights the existential themes of love, delusion and consumer culture through the story of a man encountering the one distinct voice in a monotonous world. [Read](https://www.filmcomment.com/film-of-the-week-anomalisa/) - **Financial Times**, Nigel Andrews (90/100, inferred): The critic describes the film as wonderful, haunting, indelible and incredible, an inspired miniature about madness, male menopause and the redemptive possibilities of love. He singles out the absurdly touching one-night romance and the tender, delicate puppet sex scene. [Read](https://www.ft.com/content/8231df3c-e6bc-11e5-a09b-1f8b0d268c39) - **Los Angeles Times**, Michael Phillips (90/100, inferred): Sad, beautiful and the wittiest film of the year, it transforms a drab premise of middle-aged malaise into serious pleasure. It is a perfect little tale of love in bloom among the weeds of ordinary life. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-anomalisa-review-20151230-20-story.html) - **The AV Club**, Mike D'Angelo (A-): The critic notes that by Kaufman’s high standards the resolution is unusually predictable, but finds Anomalisa beautifully distinctive from moment to moment thanks to the puppets’ human and mechanical imperfections that make it poignantly or nightmarishly effective. They single out its exploration of the knowledge that we are all fundamentally alone. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/charlie-kaufman-works-his-heady-magic-this-time-with-p-1798186112) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, David Rooney (90/100, inferred): The critic praises the beguiling poignancy and emotional nuance of this funny-sad, haunting meditation on depression, disguised as a melancholy love story. They single out the superb set-piece of the single-night romantic interlude enriched by detailed context and the emotional power that lingers long after the film ends. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/charlie-kaufmans-anomalisa-venice-review-820741/) - **Total Film**, Jamie Graham (90/100, inferred): The critic describes it as Kaufman's most human and recognisable work, showing what it is to be human with the best use of Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Girls Just Want To Have Fun’ in the movies. They highlight the precise observational details of human behaviour and the emotional response elicited by the central connection. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/anomalisa-review/) - **Little White Lies**, Sophie Monks Kaufman (5/4/5): Praises the melancholic stop-motion treasure for its absolute commitment to depicting solipsistic suffering and the intricate, brilliant portrayal of a lonely man's fleeting connection. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/anomalisa) - **Screen Daily** (80/100, inferred): Describes a wistful, resonant film and a bracing, wry, honest dose of cinematic melancholy, focusing on the hotel as an existential staging post and the realistic puppetry including sex scenes. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/anomalisa-review/5092585.article) - **Sight and Sound**, Graham Fuller (70/100, inferred): The critic praises Kaufman's stop-motion film for its unique exploration of alienation and perception through puppets where most characters look and sound the same, highlighting the poignant relationship with Lisa and the film's metaphysical depth. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/film-week-anomalisa) - **Slant Magazine**, Chuck Bowen (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the film initially reductive and literal-minded but praises the aural device of identical voices and visual stylization for simulating the numbness of depression, along with the unexpected tenderness of the central relationship and Lisa’s vividly specific portrayal. They single out the remarkably moving sex scene as the highpoint and the final cruel punchline underscoring that meet-cutes aren’t a cure. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/anomalisa/) - **Variety**, Peter Debruge (70/100, inferred): Kaufman teams with Duke Johnson to bring his stageplay to life in stop-motion, resulting in a cerebral yet satisfying self-analysis. It moves from a dark night of the soul into something warm, human and tender. [Read](https://variety.com/2015/film/festivals/anomalisa-film-review-1201586854/) - **Vulture** (55/100, inferred): The critic calls it a perfect thing and the most vivid portrait of solipsism, praising the thrillingly expressive stop-motion animation and the sublime, alchemical sex scene as a feat of transcendence. They single out the complacent misery and self-centered tone that ultimately makes the film feel like undiluted Charlie Kaufman one wants to escape. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2015/12/review-anomalisa-is-pure-dark-charlie-kaufman.html) - **The New Yorker**, Richard Brody (40/100, inferred): The film shares the obliviousness of its acclaimed protagonist toward others in his life. It depicts a short affair between a business writer and a star-struck fan using realistic stop-motion puppets. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/the-condescending-compassion-of-charlie-kaufmans-anomalisa) - **The New York Times**, Manohla Dargis (30/100, inferred): The sad and stingingly painful film features a throng of whiners and depressives alongside one bright soul. It is a recognizably Kaufmanesque creation exploring identity, loneliness, and love through stop-motion puppets. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/30/movies/review-anomalisa-pairs-charlie-kaufman-and-lonely-puppets.html) - **NME**, Olly Richards (5/5): The review calls it another classic from Charlie Kaufman, using stop-motion puppets to explore a man's boredom with identical faces and voices around him until he meets someone different. It singles out the funny yet touching sex scene and strong voice performances for making the artificial feel deeply human and emotional. [Read](https://www.nme.com/reviews/reviews-various-artists-16417-307390) - **Collider**, Matt Goldberg (A): The critic praises the film's thoughtful meditation on loneliness and longing for human connection through stop-motion animation and calls it as effective and compelling as any of Kaufman's movies. The review highlights the heartbreaking characters and fresh take on familiar themes. [Read](https://collider.com/anomalisa-review-charlie-kaufman/) - **Polygon**, Allegra Frank (90/100, inferred): The critic calls Anomalisa a devastating portrait of depression through puppets and one of the year's best films, praising its remarkably human story and the stop-motion animation's role in revealing the protagonist's isolated worldview. It highlights the film's triumph as an adult animated work with dramatic potential. [Read](https://www.polygon.com/2015/12/17/10325780/anomalisa-review/) - **The Playlist**, The Playlist Staff (A-): The review lauds the film's deft balance of spiritual crisis, despondency, awkwardness, and biting hilarity in its stop-motion tale of loneliness and the need for connection, calling it a near-perfect marriage of Kaufman's themes and Johnson's animation. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/anomalisa-review-charlie-kaufman-20151230/) - **Deadline**, Pete Hammond (80/100, inferred): The critic finds the stop-motion film a unique and dreamlike exploration of mundanity and human connection that stays with the viewer. He singles out the raw stop-motion technique, with visible facial lines deliberately retained to match the film's spirit. [Read](https://deadline.com/2015/12/anomalisa-review-charlie-kaufman-stop-motion-stop-motion-animation-1201671241/) - **The Skinny**, Ben Nicholson (★★★★): The critic describes the film as a tender, moving account of depression and the search for connection, with puppets that feel lifelike and convey isolation turning to joy. It notes the accessible yet profound take on Kaufman's usual existential style, enhanced by the stop-motion animation. [Read](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/cineskinny/reviews/anomalisa) - **The Wrap** (75/100, inferred): The critic calls the stop-motion film a surprising and delightful meditation on human connection that does not disappoint. He singles out the inventive animated world where only the leads have distinct faces and voices amid the surrealism. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/toronto-charlie-kaufmans-anomalisa-digs-into-human-meaning-with-stop-motion/) - **Eye for Film**, Amber Wilkinson (70/100, inferred): The critic highlights the triumph in smaller gestures and human moments, noting the warm, humanistic vibe and Lisa as a lovely creation, while acknowledging it doesn't reach the heights of Kaufman's prior work on loneliness. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/anomalisa-2015-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson) - **HeyUGuys**, Jo-Ann Titmarsh (70/100, inferred): The critic praises the witty and tender stop-motion animation as an intimate exploration of existential crisis and human connection, highlighting the inventive puppetry and voice work that bring the fuzzy characters to life. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/anomalisa-review/) - **Paste**, Tim Grierson (9.5): The critic describes the film as piercingly poignant and perhaps Kaufman's most succinct expression of the malaise haunting his work, praising its honesty in depicting struggles with loneliness alongside humor and empathy. The stop-motion animation is noted for reflecting the director's aesthetic in a purer way. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/anomalisa) ## Details - **Director:** Duke Johnson, Charlie Kaufman - **Director:** Duke Johnson, Charlie Kaufman - **Writer:** Charlie Kaufman - **Cinematography:** Joe Passarelli - **Editor:** Garret Elkins - **Music:** Carter Burwell - **Production design:** John Joyce, Huy Vu - **Costume design:** Susan Donym - **Producer:** Charlie Kaufman, Duke Johnson, Rosa Tran - **Cast:** David Thewlis as Michael Stone (voice); Jennifer Jason Leigh as Lisa Hesselman (voice); Tom Noonan as Everyone Else (voice) - **Runtime:** 1h 31m - **Certificate (MPA):** R - **Release (the US):** 30 December 2015 - **Genres:** Animation, Drama, Romance, Comedy - **Budget:** $8 million - **Box office:** $6 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQkHA3fHk_0 ## Where to watch in the US - Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, hd - Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $9.99, hd - Apple TV: buy $9.99, hd *Checked 2026-09-17.* Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PH, PL, PT, RO, SE, UA, US, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Academy Awards 2016: Best Animated Feature (nominated) - IFFR audience award 2016: IFFR audience award (nominated) - Annie Award for Best Animated Feature 2015: Annie Award for Best Animated Feature (nominated) - Critics' Choice Awards 2015: Best Animated Feature (nominated) - Grand Jury Prize of the Venice Film Festival 2015: Grand Jury Prize of the Venice Film Festival (won) ## If you liked this - *Synecdoche, New York* (2008), Fi1m 84: Kaufman’s first film as director: the same dread, spread over a whole city. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/synecdoche-new-york.md) - *Mary and Max* (2009), Fi1m 80: Australian stop-motion about two lonely pen pals; sadder and kinder than it sounds. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/mary-and-max.md) - *Lost in Translation* (2003), Fi1m 86: Another hotel, another sleepless visitor, another one-night friendship that cannot last. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/lost-in-translation.md) - *Brief Encounter* (1945), Fi1m 90: Two ordinary people, a railway café and the small cruelty of going home afterwards. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/brief-encounter.md) - *$9.99* (2008): Stop-motion tenants in one block of flats, each looking for a reason to keep going. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/anomalisa