A Scanner Darkly

Richard Linklater’s 2006 adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s 1977 prescient neo-noir novel of a near-future (1994) Los Angeles still feels uncomfortably present. This scathing, frequently funny fable is a cop story infused with metaphysical questions about addiction, the nature of the mind and the self, and their deconstruction—embedded in a corporate surveillance thriller. By rotoscoping the live action—memorable performances by a great cast, including Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey Jr., and Winona Ryder—Linklater enhances the film’s uncanny, woozy quality. “They’re all taking dope, . . . and they’re all wonderful people. Then the terrible destruction of their brains begins” (Philip K. Dick).