Swiss Army Man Part 1: Breaking Expectations with an Opening Scene

 Swiss Army Man did not initially give away its true nature. Based on the title and the way that it was introduced to the class as a great example of post-modernism, I was for some reason expecting something serious and emotionally-complex. I expected it to have serious themes and a plot that did not follow standard conventions or expectations. All of this is still true of Swiss Army Man, but just in a completely different way.

I think more than anything, it's the opening credits scene with the paper boat that ultimately sets the serious tone. This opening scene is now burned into my mind, not just because we ended up watching it twice, but also because it is so striking. Then immediately after those credits, we see a man on an island putting a noose around his neck, seemingly having been stranded for a long time and having finally given up all hope. Then the body washes up on shore. Again, I thought this was a serious moment. Maybe he knows this guy, or maybe it's a sign that there are people who can help him nearby.

The way that Paul Dano (an incredible actor) pulls the noose off and desperately trudges down the beach, the way the score is quiet but tense, and the angles from which the island is shot during this section all give off a feeling of a serious art film or survivor flick, something like that.

Even during the first fart, I thought that that was supposed to be realistic humor, since the body empties itself after death. But the way that he returns to go and try and kill himself again clued me in a bit. There's no way he's going to try again and succeed this time, right? That would make any sense. And I was right. But still, I couldn't see where the film was going.

It wasn't until the farting kept happening over and over that I started to get the hint that, wait, what the hell is going on here? And then before you know it, we're in full on fantasy absurdism, with Dano riding the corpse's farting body into the sea. I actually loved this turnaround, even though I kind of wanted it to stay serious.

The reason my initial expectations stuck with me so much is that they were only told to me through film language, never explicitly. I thought that was really cool.

And also, they really sold this scene as legitimately triumphant, despite the obvious ridiculous subject matter and the fact that he didn't use any wits whatsoever to get off of his island. Just sheer luck and absurdism.

I want to talk about the rest of the movie, so stay tuned for part 2.