Schizopolis
| Schizopolis | |
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DVD cover of the Criterion release
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| Directed by | Steven Soderbergh |
| Produced by |
John Hardy John Re |
| Written by | Steven Soderbergh |
| Starring |
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| Music by |
Cliff Martinez Steven Soderbergh |
| Cinematography | Steven Soderbergh |
| Edited by | Steven Soderbergh Sarah Flack |
| Distributed by | Northern Arts |
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Release date
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Running time
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96 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $250,000 |
| Box office | $10,580 |
Schizopolis (also known as Steven Soderbergh's Schizopolis) is an experimental comedy film directed by Steven Soderbergh in 1996 with a non-linear narrative.
Although the film does not have a linear plot, a skeletal structure exists, telling the same story from three different perspectives divided into three acts. At the beginning of the film, Soderbergh speaks to the audience in a style meant to evoke Cecil B. DeMille's introduction to The Ten Commandments. He states, "In the event that you find certain sequences or ideas confusing, please bear in mind that this is your fault, not ours. You will need to see the picture again and again until you understand everything."
The film's main character is Fletcher Munson (played by Soderbergh), an office employee working under Theodore Azimuth Schwitters. Schwitters is the leader of a self-help company/religion/lifestyle known as Eventualism, a clear reference to L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology. The audience sees the events unfold in the opening act through Fletcher's point of view.
Fletcher sees the underlying meaning in everything, paying more attention to what is meant, rather than what is said. As he progresses through his day the audience sees the lack of attention he is paying to the people around him, degrading to the point where he comes home for dinner and he and his wife illustrate their lack of communication by simply describing what they are saying.
When Fletcher's co-worker Lester Richards (a reference to Soderbergh's idol and mentor, filmmaker Richard Lester) unexpectedly dies while getting pictures developed at the drugstore, Fletcher must take his job as speechwriter for Schwitters. His personal life suffers because of his work, and he becomes even more detached from his wife, who is trying to cope by having an affair.
Meanwhile, Elmo Oxygen, a local exterminator, spends much of his time going from house to house, bedding the bored housewives of the men in the community who work for Schwitters (including Richards' widow). In each house he takes pictures of his genitals using various cameras he finds on tables and in cabinets. Elmo and the women speak in a nonsensical code that, for all its complexity, clearly conveys amorous intent:
As Elmo makes his rounds, he is followed by a couple in an SUV.
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Wikipedia