A Scanner Darkly

Philip K. Dick. He's a trip, man. He's probably most heady of all the science fiction authors of the 1960s, and adaptations of his work tend to give a thoughtful look at the possible worlds around us. A Scanner Darkly may be the one that rides closest to the line that Dick walked in his day, and it's a remarkable piece of science fiction. The story of a street drug, the quest to combat it, and how reality is dilated when users try to climb their way out. The film is one of the most visually striking animations of all-time. It uses a rotoscoping technique in which animators color over existing footage. The effect is at once flattened like a Nagle painting of the 1980s, as well as flowing like the music video for Take On Me. That flowing combination allows the mystical quality of Substance D to come across to the audience. Even with the animation, the performances here are so strong, especially Robert Downey, Jr. and Winona Ryder. Even Keanu Reeves, who can be a bit one-note, gives a strong performance, all in this surreal atmosphere. Why it's on the list: it's a marvelously thoughtful film.