[Sundance Hong Kong 2016 Review] Swiss Army Man: Farting, Erections, Masturbation

I watched Swiss Army Man during the Sundance Film Festival: Hong Kong late last month, but I couldn't find the time to write this review afterward. Later, I discovered the film was having its final encore screening on October 15th, and felt I absolutely had to recommend it, so I immediately started writing.

Farting, erections, masturbation, sex, cross-dressing, homosexuality, infatuation with a married woman, necrophilia... Swiss Army Man is a film about these taboos, these topics that traditional thought cannot accommodate.

On the surface, Swiss Army Man appears to be a desert island survival film: the protagonist, Hank, is stranded on a deserted island, and just as he's about to commit suicide in despair, he suddenly sees a ray of hope – a man, Manny, washes ashore. However, Manny is no ordinary person: although he appears paralyzed, he constantly farts, and can even propel himself through water by farting, like a speedboat, taking Hank away from the deserted island.

The above plot seems absurd, but the subsequent plot is even more so. After Hank reaches shore, he still doesn't get rescued, so he continues to carry Manny around to survive. Manny then plays more roles: he can transform into a water dispenser, storing large amounts of drinking water for Hank; his farts can be used as fuel to start fires; the thrust from his farts can make him break through or cut anything... The film's title, Swiss Army Man, seems to compare him to a Swiss Army Knife.

And Manny's most peculiar ability is his "erection" function. Erections are not uncommon, but Manny's erection seems to act like a compass, pointing Hank in the direction home. Erections are generally not a common sight on the big screen, but directors Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan display this image in the film without reservation. Later, Hank and Manny even explicitly and concretely discuss topics like "masturbation" and "sex" on their journey. In fact, erections, masturbation, and sex are not rare or strange things. I even think they are quite normal, everyday occurrences. However, in current social norms and attitudes, these topics are often considered taboo, deemed unsuitable for public discussion. This film precisely breaks these shackles, inserting these forbidden elements into a seemingly absurd and bizarre story.

Beyond societal taboo topics, the film spends even more time discussing forbidden love: Hank falls in love with a married woman who has a daughter. During their journey, Hank tries to trigger Manny's memories by suggesting he think about the person he loves. In this process, Hank role-plays, having Manny enter his story: Hank falls in love with a married woman he sees every day on the bus. Gradually, they build their own house, car, restaurant in the forest... Hank even wonders if he's falling in love with Manny. Love, in itself, is never a taboo topic. However, what is depicted in the film, involving a man falling in love with a married woman he doesn't know, and same-sex love, is considered a different situation. In the film, Hank once discusses with Manny what love is, and the nature of love. Indeed, if love is just a strong feeling, why can't one have feelings for the same sex? Why can't one have feelings for someone one doesn't know and who is already married? Who can determine who we should or shouldn't have feelings for?

After falling into a river and being attacked by a bear, Hank and Manny finally return to an inhabited area. Just outside the forest, Hank discovers that the place he's reached is actually outside the house of Sarah, the woman he's infatuated with, and is even discovered by Sarah's daughter. When paramedics arrive, Manny is no longer breathing, and the paramedics even state that Manny had been dead for some time, and his injuries were sustained after death. Hank's father also arrives on the scene, thinking his son is dead. At the same time, Sarah discovers that Hank's phone contains many pictures of her. At this point, Hank, having heard and seen everything, falls into confusion: has he been with a corpse all this time? How will he face Sarah's accusations? How will he face his father? Originally, he could have used a "689 trick" (a colloquial term in Hong Kong for a desperate, flimsy excuse), pushing all blame onto Manny and fabricating a story to exonerate himself. But instead, he picks up Manny's corpse and runs back into the forest.

Then, police, reporters, Sarah's family, and Hank's father follow Hank to the forest below the hillside outside Sarah's house. In the forest, they discover Hank and Manny's house, car, and other items: Hank had actually been in the forest near Sarah's house the whole time, not some wilderness. He had been near Sarah all along, but kept avoiding his feelings, even contemplating suicide, because society cannot accommodate a person who loves a married woman they don't know. After being exposed and everything that transpired, he decides to take Manny: he'd rather live a truly happy life with Manny.

Later, on the beach, Hank tells everyone everything, including Manny's functions. He finally honestly confronts who he is, faces his true feelings, no longer fears society's shackles, and expresses his views. However, what he receives in return are his father's disappointed gaze, Sarah's blame, and the police's arrest: no one believes his story, no one believes Manny is alive, or his "functions"... At this moment, a farting sound suddenly echoes, Manny wakes up and rushes towards the sea. Everyone's reactions differ; some laugh, some are incredulous.

This ending reminds me of the ending of Birdman (2014). We don't know if this is real, whether Manny is truly a living person with special abilities, or just a corpse. We don't know if all of this is just Hank's fabrication to escape reality. But for Hank, it's a happy ending: everyone believes him, doesn't consider him crazy. More importantly, he finally dares to defy social norms and confront his true feelings.

Overall, Swiss Army Man isn't the best film I've seen this year, but the film's visual treatment, and the values shared and expressed by the directors and screenwriters, are truly worth savoring. Perhaps in a society where even discussing "sex" causes huge controversy, we need a film full of such taboo topics even more.

Swiss Army Man will have its final encore screening on October 15th in the afternoon. Friends who are interested should seize this last opportunity!