Being John Malkovich

Being John Malkovich screens at the Carver Branch Library on Tuesday, August 25, as part of the library's Surrealism Cinema series. It's a fitting spot for a movie that spends most of its time messing with the very idea of who we are.

Written by Charlie Kaufman and directed by Spike Jonze, the story starts with Craig Schwartz, played by John Cusack, an unemployed puppeteer who finds a portal into the mind of actor John Malkovich. He discovers it alongside his co-worker Maxine, played by Catherine Keener, and the two spend their time stepping into Malkovich's head and seeing the world through his eyes. The plot takes a turn when Craig's wife Lotte, played by Cameron Diaz, falls in love with Maxine—but only when Lotte is inhabiting Malkovich. It's a strange, body-snatching drama that reviewers have called a pleasurable fever dream.

If you've never seen it, it's one of those movies that works best when you just let it take you where it wants. It's a kaleidoscopic look at identity, and it doesn't let go of that thread until the end. The Carver Branch Library is at 1161 Angelina in Austin East, and the screening is part of their Surrealism Cinema series, so it's one of several films they're showing around the theme of the surreal. The screening is on Tuesday, August 25.