Being John Malkovich

Not recognised for his gifts, a talented but luckless puppeteer gets a temp job as a filing clerk at a mysterious company located on the 7½ floor of a building, where he discovers a hidden portal to the mind of actor John Malkovich – a discovery that has profound consequences for him, his wife, an attractive co-worker, and Malkovich himself. Charlie Kaufman’s highly original and wildly inventive script has one reaching for adjectives like ‘absurdist,’ ‘metaphysical,’ ‘surrealist,’ or ‘Kafkaesque,’ but Jonze’s breezy direction avoids pretension by keeping things light and playful with off-the-cuff humour and effortless visual panache.

Venice Film Festival: FIPRESCI Prize (Parallel Sections)

BAFTA Awards: Best Original Screenplay