Cold Souls (2009)

I saw two today, one Monday (and another tomorrow) so I'd better get crackin' here. The comparison to Charlie Kaufman's work is inevitable: as in Being John Malkovich (1999), an actor plays himself and people's brains are inhabited by outsiders; as in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), memories are manipulated; and as in Synechdoche, New York, Emily Watson has a supporting role, and a classic play inspires the main character to action. Writer/director Sophie Barthes makes her feature debut, and was nominated for a Sundance Award, with this nutty (don't forget I said that) tale of Paul Giamatti (excellent in The Illusionist (2006), Cinderella Man (2005), Sideways (2004), and, especially, American Splendor (2003), though he's been working a long time), playing himself, who undergoes a "soul extraction" procedure about which he reads in The New Yorker magazine (it's a real cover, but she made up the article). Why he has to play himself becomes clear about halfway through. Dina Korzun (Forty Shades of Blue (2005)), who plays the first Russian woman, also does a great job, but it's Giamatti's movie and his angst is palpable. With the always entertaining David Strathairn (Good Night and Good Luck (2005), Limbo (1999), and my personal favorite, the TV series The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd (1988-90), which he told me in 1998 was his favorite, too) as the soothing "doctor." This is wacky and good fun for people who like Kaufman and that ilk (that includes Jack and me!). I'll be interested to see what Barthes does next.