Anesthesia (2016)

Don't listen to the negative reviews

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Although, it may seem to many about loneliness and melancholy... its much much more than that. The movie shows a mature examination of the effects of technology, industrialization and almost everything which describes the 20th century human life, narrated by the central character Prof. Walter Zarrow. Some of the scenes are written and directed wonderfully by Tim, especially the one where Kristen Stewart shouts out loud how lonely her life is and Prof. Walter is probably just mesmerized at the young raw intelligence in so much grief. The movie also shows how inconvenient and difficult it can be to even call a friend in need, and how easily a stranger can buzz in a stranger in a tragic situation. The writing is so philosophical and intelligent that not a single sentence should be missed without digesting it. Surely its all bagel platter for philosophy and psychology students, but so it may be for others as well. The drug addict cites Augustine and Walter cites Montaigne before death and as a compliment, this movie can be and I am sure will be cited (at least by me) in many practical situations.

this movie is deep, moving and ignites the brilliant, yet deep sorrow filled questions of what the meaning of life is and how one should choose their own purpose. excellent movie. mediocre reviews i assume were because the critics are forced to actually think and question deeply personal and wider societal issues, instead of brainlessly watching a film. the movie is about a mugging that splinters story lines of every one connected or effected. the movie encompasses broad problems that are unique to each character in a sincere way. The majority will be able to relate to at least one, if not more of the issues portrayed here. everybody is searching for the answers and this is an honest film aiming to get the audience to remember our actions are never kept isolated in this world.

He's not in this film but he could have been. "Anesthesia" reminds me of a serious WA movie, complete with NYC as a character in itself. I am a great fan of most of WA's work and I also really like this movie. As far as films go, it's "deep" raising some of the "big" issues of human suffering and the meaning of life, and it's done really well. One thing that made it compelling, in my opinion, is the casting. The various actors in it make for a great visual variety in terms of race/ethnicity and looks. Everyone is not beautiful looking, yet everyone I found to be very engaging. Another way of saying this is the acting was excellent across the board. For a movie with subject matter that could have wound up seeming pretentious, I think the big issues were handled well. For example, towards the end,when the two teenagers were so delicately having sex for the first time, while the boy's mother was undergoing exploratory surgery, it was an artistic way of showing the "life can't help but go on" theme. Likewise, the ending, in which the Sam Waterston character extends kindness to the street drug addict who then intervenes and gets killed when Sam W. is knifed by another street person, I found to be quite moving. Ultimately we die and some people are bigger a-holes than others, but in the end what we choose to be meaningful matters.

Greetings again from the darkness. The comparisons to Crash, the 2006 Oscar winner for Best Picture, will be numerous and understandable. However, rather than an expose' on racial tension, writer/director/actor Tim Blake Nelson turns his pen and lens towards the somewhat less profound, though still fruitful subject matter of suburban angst amidst the educated elite.An opening featuring a violent mugging on the stoop of a NYC brownstone grabs our attention quickly, and rather than follow the immediate aftermath, we are instead taken back in time to study the characters and events leading to that tragic moment. The tangled web of intertwined stories is made up of no fewer than fifteen different characters, each of whom is impacted by what happens in that opening sequence.Sam Waterston plays a beloved Columbia University Philosophy Professor who is exceedingly happily married to Glenn Close. Director Tim Blake Nelson plays their son, who is married to Jessica Hecht, and together they have a teenage son and daughter (Ben Konigsberg, Hannah Marks). Michael K Williams plays a big shot attorney who forces his best friend (K Todd Freeman) into drug rehab with a renowned doctor (Yul Vazquez), while Gretchen Mol plays the mother of two daughters and wife of Corey Stoll.All of the above might seem simple enough, but Mr. Nelson's script jumbles things up for each character … just like what happens in real life. Waterston discovers that his prized pupil (Kristen Stewart) has psychological issues and needs professional help – just as he decides it's time to retire from teaching. While their kids are smoking pot and exploring sexual frontiers, Hecht and Nelson are dealing with a medical dilemma. During his rehab, Freeman is quietly confronted by a nurse while being let down by his only friend; and as Ms. Mol turns to the bottle to numb her daily pain, her hubby is making plans with someone else (Mickey Sumner) … and China may or may not play a role. Whew!!Daily life creates many opportunities. Some of these turn out good, while others seem destined to create pain. It's that pain … sometimes quite arbitrary … and how we deal with it, which is at the core of these characters and their stories. There is also the always-present quest for truth and search for the meaning of life. We know we are in for a ride when Waterston's character says "I used to believe in nothing. Now I believe in everything." Worlds colliding at every turn keep the pace of the film brisk, and the familiar cast of actors allows us to easily accept each of the characters. A bit more polish on the script could have elevated this, but even as is, the film delivers a worthy punch, and has us questioning if we should be "planting cabbages" (Montaigne).