I’ve seen thousands of films and I’ve never seen anything like writers/directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert's Swiss Army Man. Like Adam said in his Sundance review, “Swiss Army Man is a tough movie to describe because saying too much ruins the narrative and thematic surprises along the way, and explaining certain things out of context make it sound downright crazy (which, in some ways, it is)." I’ll just say it’s about someone trapped on an island (Paul Dano) who goes on an adventure after discovering a dead body (Daniel Radcliffe).
From there, the film explores what it means to be alive, what it means to be human, while mixing in fart jokes and some insane things that just shouldn’t happen. While I’ll admit the film is not for everyone (you’ll know five minutes in if it’s for you), I loved how different it was from everything else and that even though it’s loaded with juvenile humor, there is a lot going on below the surface. Also, Dano and Radcliffe are fantastic and holding nothing back.
Shortly after the premiere I spoke to Dano. He talked about why he wanted to make Swiss Army Man, if he was nervous about the material, Daniel Radcliffe's performance and the spirit of the film, what he thinks the film is about, the buzz after the world premiere, and a lot more. Check out what he had to say below.
Finally, A24 picked up Swiss Army Man so you’ll be able to see it for yourself later this year.
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Paul Dano:
- 0:10 – His recent schedule.
- 0:38 - Is media training required for interviews?
- 1:13 - Swiss Army Man
- 1:30 - How the project was pitched.
- 3:40 - The beginning of the film.
- 4:03 - Making the film.
- 5:17 - Daniel Radcliffe's performance and the spirit of the film.
- 6:25 - Did you anticipate the immediate buzz?
- 7:46 - The film's subtext and meaning.
