Alternate Best Actor 2016: Paul Dano & Daniel Radcliffe in Swiss Army Man

Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe did not receive Oscar nominations for portraying Hank and Manny respectively in Swiss Army Man.

Swiss Army Man is an unorthodox film following a lonely man who discovers an unlikely friend and savior in a corpse with strange powers.

This film is all about its strangeness to a degree, and I would say partly to the film's appeal but also partly to its detriment. What it has at its center are two performances that intend to deliver on the promise of the film regardless. The more straightforward performance is that of Paul Dano's lonely man Hank who we initially find as he is about to commit suicide on a deserted island. Dano often plays oddball characters however his performance here is intended to be a bit more direct. Dano's opening moment conveys this innate anxiety about the man, sadness, and depression. Although Dano's depiction of this almost is wavering in the sense there is no conviction within Hank even with the noose around his neck. His expressions are more of a man lost with his emotions just as he is lost in this world by being on this island. His suicide is prevented by the arrival of Radcliffe's Manny, who literally is just a dead corpse, where to Radcliffe's credit delivers a proper rigor mortis, in his strange expression of someone whose not sure what caused their death even. 

The main narrative becomes then this interaction as Hank discovers a strange new life by escaping the island after he finds Manny's farts provide ample energy to ride the corpse through the water. A moment of featuring this exhilaration in Dano as it seems like Hank has some kind of second wind, and Radcliffe, well Radcliffe still has that same strange dead look on his face. What the film develops into is discovery and self-discovery within the character of Hank. The discovery is where he finds the strange abilities that Manny has and slowly finds there may be more to Manny that a corpse. Dano's performance in a way is key in that he doesn't at all bring humor into the situation. He rather plays the part with an overarching quality of desperation as he interacts with Manny. Dano shows in his eyes a man who needs much from Manny, and even when he's trying to get something from him there is a palatable need that Manny needs to be more than a dead corpse. 

This relationship expands when Manny begins to talk and Radcliffe in turn is given a little more to act with, that being part of his face. Radcliff's work is fascinating in basically he only reanimates what is reanimated within Manny. Radcliffe's initially making simple noises deep within his throat as someone without control of much else than the vibration of their vocal cords. Leading Hank and Manny to sing the Jurassic Park theme together, Dano plays the moment with a mix of fascination, but also frustration as he looks as though checking to see if this is genuine or a miming act from Manny. Radcliffe on the other hand succeeds in making the strangeness tangible. Comical in his off-beat oddity but also convincing, at least as convincing as one can be as a living corpse. The two of them together create the right dynamic as Dano gives the sense of the strangeness of the situation but also with it the sense of curiosity, while Radcliffe provides the curiosity. 

Their relationship grows naturally when Manny begins to speak and Radcliffe's performance grows a bit more in terms of what he can use, however, his vocal delivery is basically behind teeth, with the voice of a man just barely able to move his mouth naturally. The relationship though is one built on the idea of relationships in general as Hank teaches Manny, mostly by Hank revealing all his personal loneliness and insecurities. Dano is terrific by being very honest, despite the situation, in realizing this specific tone in Hank's "teaching". Dano mixes passion with anxiety in every word as it is as much these confessions of his own failings as it is trying to connect with the corpse of Hank. Dano finds the complexity in this as Hank provides some sense of warmth with his words towards Manny, even while his expressions speak towards someone whose accents are that of a constant failure.  Radcliffe on the other hand is wonderfully straightforward, as a corpse, by portraying the wonderment in Manny as he takes in Hank's "wisdom. Radcliffe brings a certain childlike discovery as though he's learning what it means to live for the first time.

Dano and Radcliffe admirably carry the film together by making this dynamic work within the weird confines, but also with genuine emotion by making this connection between the two. The progression than being this odd friendship that does develop and there is something very endearing in this wholly one-of-a-kind bond that is crafted. Dano projects a seeming growing confidence in this but never does lose the desperation is quality always nagging upon him. Contrasting that is Radcliffe's performance which has some physical brilliance as the more Manny seems to come to life, Radcliffe brings more articulation in his voice and his physical manner if ever so slightly. He never stops being a corpse fully, but the slight movement towards being living is particularly well realized in Radcliffe's performance. Where this leads is sadly probably the least interesting part of the film, as Hank gets called upon his past creepiness and Manny seemingly is just a corpse. I don't find any of this terribly interesting, even performance wise where obviously Radcliffe isn't doing much and Dano is back to the beginning, although this is writing not acting. What I do like though is the final moment of both performances where Manny comes back to life, for a triumphant fart naturally, and Radcliffe and Dano's mutual joy at the moment is a memorable sendoff, even with a bit shaky path to that point. Both actors give strong performances though, with much conviction to the concept as a reality, something that I think was missing or played more overtly comically, I'm not sure the film would've worked in the slightest.