The film Swiss Army Man, directed by The Daniels, follows the story of a young man who is stranded on an island named Hank, who struggles with mental health and discovers himself throughout the film. The key source for Hank's self-discovery is a man named Manny, who, seemingly dead, washes up on the shore of the island where Hank is stranded. Manny arrives at the perfect time. Hank is about to take his own life and suddenly sees Manny, who symbolizes hope for Hank at this time. Hank clings to this feeling of hope when Manny suddenly comes back to life. Manny has a form of super-powers is superhuman, and is ultimately able to save Hank from this island. While he may have superpowers, Manny has lost all knowledge of his previous life and needs Hank to teach him all about it. Hank and Manny arrive close to home, using Manny's interesting farting abilities, and they begin their journey to try and reach home. Throughout their journey home, Hank and Manny develop a meaningful relationship that grows and lasts until the very last second of the film.
Although a little bit weird to me at first, this film honestly created a major sense of comfort and warmth for me, while also making me feel emotional. I truly admire how this film grapples with uncomfortable topics such as self-expression, mental health, and self-shame. I feel that oftentimes, not only myself but everyone gets caught up in small details and focuses too much on what is socially acceptable and how people might view us. Through Manny, Hank is able to bring up childhood/family trauma and mental health issues he has dealt with, and with this, is able to learn to accept himself. Hank brings up uncomfortable topics such as masturbation, farting, and other topics that aren't socially acceptable to talk about. This film also explores Hanks's mental health issues. He was attempting to take his life at the beginning of the film, and felt completely alone and ashamed of himself, and finding Manny really helped him express these emotions and be more vulnerable. I think we have all felt how Hank has felt to a certain extent. Getting so caught up in the small details in life, focusing on what is "normal" vs "weird," and feeling alone because of these things is unfortunately common for everyone. This often leads to a feeling of shame and that you are not good enough, or that you don't deserve anything or anyone. Hank demonstrates this in the film, and this creates a connection with the audience and a sense of familiarity, which I found sad, yet really comforting. The exploration of uncomfortable topics made not only Hank, but me, realize that we value and judge way too many things about ourselves. This realization came through Manny asking many innocent questions on why certain things are considered "weird." It really made me think why certain things are considered "weird" as well. I think I found a lot of comfort in this recognition of self-shame because it's an emotion I have felt before. I tend to focus on every tiny detail, and what is considered to be socially acceptable. The "weirdness" of everyone is what makes life interesting, and is what ultimately brings people closer, and is something we all need to accept more. Manny and Hank develop a deep connection over a short period of time due to these raw and genuine conversations, which is something I truly admire about this film. This film also dives into sexuality a bit. I also found this part of the film pretty comforting. It felt very raw and real and demonstrated an openness to sexuality, which I think is really important for people to recognize and value. While this part of the film might of made some uncomfortable, I think it is a beautiful part about self-acceptance and vulnerability. It also ties into what is socially acceptable or not, and embracing the unique parts of ourselves. Self-expression is overall the biggest theme I recognized in this film, and is again, something I find comforting and sweet about this film.
Another idea that I enjoyed from this film was pertaining to the journey to "home" that Hank and Manny were taking. This film is a true embodiment of "It's not about the destination, it's about the friends we made along the way." While it is typically a cheesy and cliché theme, this film does an outstanding job of demonstrating it in a meaningful and wholesome way. The goal throughout the film of Hank and Manny is to get back to their homes and previous lives. The only reason Manny wants to get back to his previous life is because Hank has kind of drawn a picture for Manny of what a dream life could be like, and what Manny's life probably was like. Hank realized quickly that he really didn't have a life to go back to, and this created a sense of shame for him, as previously mentioned. Throughout their journey, though, Hank realizes the relationship that he is forming with Manny, and how much he is simply enjoying himself in those small moments. The raw and vulnerable relationship that Hank and Manny have throughout the film with each other is truly heartwarming. While learning about life, Manny also begins to realize that he is happy just existing with Hank. This aspect of the film really made me realize how much I value small moments with the people I care about and love. Those true and meaningful connections are what make life so valuable and precious.
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