Is “Anima,” a fifteen-minute film directed by Paul Thomas Anderson around two songs from Thom Yorke’s new album, a promo or a real film? Given that it has been added by Netflix to its movie roster, I chose to treat it as a movie in its own right and my happy viewing ratifies that decision. Starring Yorke himself (his grizzly features and intelligent, offset eyes add memorable authenticity to a wonderful performance), “Anima” is essentially a long-form dance sequence narrating Yorke’s Dreamtime pursuit of a woman on a train, with enchanting balletic sequences of bodies moving en masses down alleys, up slopes, and amidst swirling shapes. No ballet fan, I was nonetheless swept up by the many rubbery bodies marching onwards amidst gorgeous halucinogenic backdrops. The pace is nonstop and nothing stays the same for long. And of course Yorke’s blippy, droned, meditative music is a perfect accompaniment. Most enjoyable.
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