At the request of his animal obsessed wife, unsuccessful puppeteer Craig reluctantly takes a mundane office job on the 7 1/2 floor of an office building. There, he discovers a portal that leads into the mind of actor John Malkovich. Him and his alluring but frosty coworker Maxine start charging clients for this surreal experience, which quickly evolves into a confusing and strange exploration of identity, consciousness and desire.

Written by Charlie Kaufman and directed by Spike Jonze, Being John Malkovich acts as an iconic feature film debut for both of them with an impressive performance by John Malkovich as a satirical version of himself. From uncanny puppets to a chimp in a diaper, this film feels like an absurd fever dream that challenges what it means to be yourself when you can be someone else entirely. 

-Patricia

IMDb

Sign up for the Zienema newsletter