Swiss Army Man 2016

In the desolate vastness of the ocean, a series of cryptic messages drift aimlessly, bearing the plaintive cries of someone lost at sea - their hunger, boredom, and desperation palpable in every word. Meanwhile, on a forsaken isle, Hank Thompson (Paul Dano) stands poised to take his own life, but fate intervenes as the corpse of a young man (Daniel Radcliffe) washes up on the shore. As Hank approaches the lifeless body, he’s reminded of his own precarious situation when the noose around his neck snaps, sending him scrambling for safety.

In a bizarre turn of events, Hank discovers that the corpse is not just dead, but also flatulently active. The relentless stream of gas propels Hank away from the island like a makeshift jet ski, and he finds himself tumbling into the water. As he awakens in a new location, surrounded by the primordial silence of the woods, Hank credits the corpse with saving his life.

With the corpse - whom Hank has begun to refer to as Manny - in tow, they seek shelter in a nearby cave as a torrential downpour besets the land. The next morning, Hank’s thirst becomes all-consuming, and he finds solace in the strange phenomenon of Manny spewing water from his mouth like a natural fountain. As Hank drinks from the cup he’s found, he begins to treat Manny with an almost familial tenderness.

The corpse, now dubbed Manny by Hank, responds with groggy murmurs that seem to take on a life of their own - “Okay, buddy” becoming a recurring phrase that sets off a chain reaction of confusion and frustration in Hank. Despite his growing unease, Hank becomes obsessed with getting Manny to recall any shred of memory from his past. He carries the corpse on his back as they embark on a journey through the woods, peppering Manny with observations about life - from the mundane (pooping) to the primal (sex).

As they navigate this surreal landscape, a chance glance at a sports magazine yields an unexpected development: Manny’s eyes flicker open, and he’s suddenly overcome by an erection that Hank uses as a makeshift compass to guide them away from the dangers that lurk in the shadows.

As Hank and Manny stroll along, fate intervenes in the form of an unfortunate encounter with a pile of excrement. The pungent aroma is swiftly followed by the unmistakable sound of a growling bear, sending the duo tumbling down a hillside in a panic-fueled free fall. Amidst the chaos, Manny’s attention is drawn to a plastic bag containing Hank’s phone, its wallpaper featuring the enigmatic Sarah (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a familiar face from their daily bus commute. Manny’s curiosity is piqued by the realization that Hank had secretly captured her image, sparking a newfound sense of purpose in his friend.

As they navigate the aftermath of their fall, Hank begins to guide Manny through the intricacies of romantic entanglements, adopting Sarah’s persona to facilitate awkward conversations and stilted interactions. The two friends delve into topics both serious and mundane, including their own personal struggles - Hank’s complicated relationship with his father, whose absence was a lingering consequence of his mother’s passing. However, the exercise in empathy is momentarily derailed when Manny inadvertently connects Hank’s masturbatory habits to his mom, prompting an explosive reaction.

In the tranquil surroundings of the woods, Hank’s creative impulses are set free as he constructs elaborate structures - a bus, theater, and cafe - serving as backdrops for imaginative scenarios. One such setting sees Hank and Manny reenacting Sarah’s arrival at the bus stop, with Manny struggling to find the courage to approach her.

As their escapades continue, Hank begins to treat Manny like an extension of himself, utilizing his friend’s body as a tool for hunting, chopping wood, and even igniting flatulence. The duo also engages in an impromptu shadow puppet show, reimagining classic films like “Jurassic Park” and “E.T.”.

Their journey takes a precarious turn when they attempt to cross a rickety pipe suspended above a river, only for it to give way beneath their weight. As they plummet into the water, Hank employs Manny’s gaseous emissions to create buoyancy, followed by a desperate attempt to generate air from his friend’s mouth before being propelled to the surface. With Manny’s assistance, Hank then uses his friend’s orifice as a makeshift grappling hook to scale the riverbank.

As Hank finally cracks his phone screen, a birthday message from his father flashes onto the display, a beacon of hope amidst their wilderness struggles. But instead of basking in the warmth of this familial connection, Hank’s attention is hijacked by Sarah’s Instagram profile, where he discovers her life is now filled with the trappings of domesticity - a husband and daughter. This revelation sends Manny reeling, his feelings of rejection and disillusionment boiling over like a cauldron of toxic emotions. The two friends retreat to the solace of a nearby tree, only to have their peaceful interlude shattered by the appearance of a snarling bear. As the beast claws at Manny’s leg, he descends into despair, wailing like a lost soul and wishing for an end to his own existence.

Undeterred, Hank spots a distant town and attempts to flag down passing cars, his desperate bid for rescue going awry when the branch they’re perched on snaps, sending him tumbling to the ground. As he struggles to free himself from the tangled underbrush, Manny’s cries of anguish grow louder, until the bear returns, its eyes fixed on Hank as a potential meal. In a daring display of defiance, Manny sets one of his notorious flatulence-fueled pyrotechnics ablaze, sending the bear fleeing in terror. As Hank succumbs to unconsciousness, Manny drops from their arboreal perch, shuffling forward like a zombie in search of his next victim.

The unlikely duo stumbles into Sarah’s backyard, where they’re met by her wide-eyed daughter Chrissy (Antonia Ribero), who shares an unsettling telepathic connection with the befuddled Manny. As he regales her with an impromptu display of water-spraying and involuntary erections, Chrissy’s innocence is shattered, leaving her sobbing in despair. Sarah’s timely intervention brings a sense of order to the chaotic scene, but not before Manny lapses into a coma-like state, his vital signs flatlining like a defibrillator.

In the aftermath of this surreal episode, paramedics, police officers, and a news crew converge on Sarah’s property, their arrival precipitating a media frenzy that leaves Hank’s father, seeing only a body bag containing the lifeless form of Manny, weeping uncontrollably in his car. Meanwhile, a harried reporter attempts to coax a statement from the dazed Hank, who remains fixated on the memory of his friend, refusing to relinquish his grip on Manny’s motionless form.

As the authorities cart Hank away, the sound of distant flatulence drifts across the landscape, its source revealed as Manny, whose farts have taken on a life of their own, propelling him across the ocean like a latter-day Jonah. The stunned assembly watches in rapt attention as this bizarre spectacle unfolds, their collective bewilderment reflected in the blank expressions of Hank’s father, Chrissy, and Hank himself, who share a moment of transcendent understanding - and a smile - as they bear witness to Manny’s final, flailing moments of defiance.