The Enormity of Life Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

The Enormity of Life Blu-ray Movie Review

Not so hot in Cleveland.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 18, 2022

Whether or not you feel subjects like suicide and mass school shootings are the fodder for, if not outright comedy, then at least some whimsy, may determine how you react to The Enormity of Life. Based on a making of supplement included on this disc, The Enormity of Life evidently began its life under the title Anhedonia, which may send some running to their dictionaries (online or otherwise), but which may have been a more apt, and possibly (possibly) less pretentious title. Anhedonia is defined as an inability to experience pleasure, and it is a primary symptom suffered by focal character Casey Dumbrowski (Breckin Meyer). Casey is in fact attempting to commit suicide early in the film, after an initially perplexing vignette which seems to depict an "angel of mercy" nurse engaging in a little euthanasia. Fun stuff already, eh?

While the nurse angle takes a while to get to, a number of quick plot points are lined up vis a vis Casey, including a "not quite dead yet" suicide attempt which quickly gives way to a bizarre scene in an attorney's office where he's notified he's inherited a quarter of a million dollars. There's a really peculiar sidebar here about homosexuality that presages some other kind of out of left field comedic moments, but the upshot is Casey suddenly has means, or at least something close, for the first time in his life.

Also in rapid succession he meets cute with neighbor and single mother Jess (Emily Kinney) whose preternaturally mature and hilariously overly articulate daughter Jules (Giselle Eisenberg) is understandably traumatized by the endless news reports of mass school shootings, convinced it's going to happen to her sooner or later (again, understandable), and who has a serious case of what Jess thinks is akin to PTSD. It's all very peculiar at times, but co-writer and director Eric Swinderman has a fine eye and ear for quirkiness, and there's some surprising heart in this piece. That is perhaps best summed up in a finale that is may be best described as being more bittersweetly ever after than happily.

The Enormity of Life Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Enormity of Life is presented on Blu-ray (a BD-R screener was sent, I'm frankly not sure what retail will offer) with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.40:1. I haven't been able to find much if any information of any kind on this film, let alone technical information, but this is a sharp and rather colorful looking digital capture that despite its MOD foundation doesn't really exhibit any areas of major concern. Detail levels are generally quite high, though Swinderman and director of photography Sage O'Bryan often like to frame things with out of focus objects in the foreground (like the sides of faces and/or heads). A number of rather Byzantine patterns on things like clothing and upholstery are also delivered with precision. The almost candy colored palette might seem to be at odds with some of the darker subtext, but things pop appealingly throughout one way or the other.

The Enormity of Life Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Only a lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 track is offered on this disc, and while it doesn't offer any real problems, longtime readers of my reviews will already know I always want at least one lossless option on a disc, and so my score above reflects that deficit. What's here has some occasionally nice surround activity, much of it due to a number of nice source cues Swinderman offers from Cleveland based musicians, but that in and of itself may beg the question as to how much better they may have sounded in a lossless offering. Dialogue is delivered cleanly and clearly without any issues. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Enormity of Life Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Behind the Scenes: Making Anhedonia (HD; 9:52) kind of hilariously has Matthew Swinderman complaining about people wanting to make "another Jurassic Park movie", which is somewhat ironic given this Blu-ray's near simultaneous release with Jurassic World: Dominion 4K.


• Trailer (HD; 2:32)

The Enormity of Life Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Enormity of Life by any other name (including but not necessarily limited to Anhedonia) would still be as quirky, and so those looking for a cookie cutter entertainment had best not apply. I'm not sure everything really holds together here tonally, but this is both provocatively dark and weirdly comic at times, and those on the hunt for something unusual may want to check it out. This BD-R offers generally nice looking video and decent if lossy audio, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.